


A Welcoming Change

by Brinxiethebear



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Barbara Gordon is Oracle, Bruce Wayne Loves Selina Kyle, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Cassandra Cain is Black Bat, Clark Kent is Superman, Damian Wayne Feels, Damian Wayne is Robin, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Good Parent Selina Kyle, Harleen Quinzel Is Good Now, Hurt/Comfort, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Jonathan Samuel Kent is Superboy, Lila Rossi Bashing, Lila Rossi's Lies Are Exposed, Minor Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson, Minor Pamela Isley/Harleen Quinzel, Minor Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne, Minor Stephanie Brown/Tim Drake, Mute Cassandra Cain, My First Smut, Pamela Isley Is Good Now, Pamela Isley Loves Harleen Quinzel, Selina Kyle is Catwoman, Smut, Stephanie Brown is Batgirl, Tim Drake is Red Robin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:47:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 42
Words: 108,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26133694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brinxiethebear/pseuds/Brinxiethebear
Summary: Damian Wayne always saw himself in a certain light. He was calculating and cold and he always took his work seriously. He was what others would call the Ice Prince. He was a loner and by choice. The only people he ever really tolerated talking to was his family and his only friend, Jon. Mainly he just spent time with his pets.So can you guess what happens when a new girl ends up coming to his school? It's certainly not what he was expecting. He finds that its a welcoming change nonetheless, no matter what surprises may come his way.
Relationships: Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne, Pamela Isley/Harleen Quinzel, Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne, Stephanie Brown/Tim Drake
Comments: 857
Kudos: 2132





	1. Chapter 1

School was always utterly boring for Damian. Say what you will about the League of Assassins, but they taught their people well. It was a rare day if the young billionaire ever learned anything new from the private school called Gotham Academy. Though the curriculum was challenging for most, it wasn’t for him.

The mornings at Gotham Academy always felt the same to him. Students would walk down the hall gossiping about other students or chatter about upcoming lectures or tests but for some reason, today was a bit different. Everyone seemed more exited to him.

It wasn’t until he overheard a couple of student as he was walking to his first class that he understood.

“Did you hear?” A student had said. “GA has a new student.”

“Really?” Another student asked.

“Yeah. I haven’t seen her yet but from what I hear, she’s super cute. I even heard someone say that she’s from France. Makes you wonder why she would move to Gotham of all places.”

Damian thought that the whole excitement of a new student was quite ridiculous. He remembered back to his first days at GA quite a few years ago and the students acted much the same as they do now. The only difference was that he was the son of a famous billionaire. He had an unwanted welcoming party whereas this newcomer has not.

Thoughts of this newcomer quickly left his mind as the bell for the first class rang and he got ready for another boring lecture.  
\---------  
It was lunchtime now. Damian was always one of the first to enter the cafeteria and therefore he didn’t have to wait in line for his food for too long. One large salad and a bottle of water later, he was sitting at his usual table in the far corner of the room.

Damian found that lunchtime was the part of the day where he was free to think. No one would ever dare to bother him. Students learned their lesson within the first five minutes of meeting him that he wasn’t one to play with, so it surprised him when a student sat on the far end of his table. He looked up to glare at the student but found that she was paying him no mind. That was when he finally took notice of her.

She had midnight blue hair that hung just passed her shoulders and bluebell eyes that seemed ever calculating even though she was only looking at a book she had brought with her to the table. She was on the smaller side from what Damian could tell and her pale skin was lightly dusted with freckles.

Damian had never seen her before and he found this fact to be quite odd. Though the billionaire never really talked to any of the students at his school, he could recognize every one of them. After all, he does have a photographic memory. One time hearing their name and he would forever be able to match a name to a face.

Then realization hit him. This was the new student he had heard about earlier in the day. This was why she had no regard for where she sat.

This is when he catches sight of the rest of the students in the lunchroom. They all were looking at the girl with what Damian assumes is worry and sadness for her. They didn’t dare come up to talk to her though. She was far too close to the ‘Ice Prince’ for anyone to intervene.

Damian was about to lay into the newcomer when he caught sight of the earbuds she was wearing. She seemed to be listening to music as she drew in the book she had.

It was like she was in her own little world as she doodled and absentmindedly ate the chips she brought along with her.

Sighing deeply, Damian decided that he would let this go. She wasn’t ogling at him and she was as far from him as she could possibly be while still sitting at his table. He found that he would ignore her as long as she would ignore him.

Damian had just finished his salad when he heard her speak. He was angry at first because he thought that she decided to talk to him after all. It wasn’t until he looked up at her that he realized that she wasn’t talking, she was humming. The bluenette still wasn’t paying him any mind. She was bobbing her head to whatever she was listening to.

The young billionaire tried to ignore her but found himself being drawn back to her and he wasn’t sure exactly why. He let his brain work through all the possibilities.

Damian wondered if she was dangerous. She was small and he was almost certain that he could take her in a fight. She posed no physical threat so he studied her a little bit further.

She was drawing in a sketchbook and at a closer inspection he saw that she was sketching out what looked to be dresses. ‘A harmless hobby.’ He thought. So why was he so drawn to her?

He took another look at her face and he saw that same look of calculation. Or is it concentration? Damian decided it could be a mixture of both.

Then he really saw her features. She had a soft, round face and in it he found innocence. The bluebell color in her eyes was like steel though and he knew for some reason that they must be hiding some unknown hurt. Was this what drew him to her? Damian wasn’t sure.

And then he looked down to her full lips where the sound of her soft humming was coming from. He had to admit that her humming sounded like that of an angel. He found himself dying to know the name of the song she was mimicking and he also found himself completely encaptivated by her soft, full lips. It was stupid though, and he knew it.

Damian became frustrated with himself as he finally tore his eyes away from her and over to the window just next to him. He watched as the breeze outside swayed the branches of a tree.

He watched a single leaf to occupy his attention so he wouldn’t have to think of the new student sitting just a few feet away from him. He didn’t like that his mind kept wondering to her and he wished that he would have just told her to move like he had originally planned. But then he thought of the fact that he wouldn’t have been able to hear her angelic humming and was conflicted.

Damian’s confliction only brought on more frustration. Was this why all the other students were excited about her? He remembered another student saying that others thought she was “cute”. The billionaire had to look over at her one more time to see if the students were correct. He had never really thought of anything besides animals as “cute” but he had to check nonetheless.

Damian was shocked to find that she was already looking at him and once his emerald green met her bluebell blue, it was like he was trapped where he sat and unable to look away.

All previous frustrations vanished. If fact, he found that he couldn’t harbor any ill temperaments whatsoever. All he could do was look at her. REALLY look at her.

Damian understood where the other students were coming from but he wouldn’t describe her as “cute”. More angelic to match her voice, but even that description fell flat. Dozens more words came to his mind but even those fell flat as well. Pretty. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Magnificent. Dazzling. Marvelous. Enthralling. Lovely. Adorable. Magnetic. Enchanting. Bewitching. Alluring. The list went on and on and he still couldn’t find a word befitting of this Angel.

And then the bell rang.

She blinked twice before scrambling for her things and walking away from the table. All Damian could do was stare after her as she left.

It took him almost two whole minutes before he could get up and make his way to his next class and even then his mind wasn’t in the right place.

“You’re late, Mr. Wayne.” His teacher had said when he entered the class.

“Sorry.” Was all he mumbled before making his way to his assigned seat.

The teacher had a brief look of shock on her face before quickly continuing on with the lesson.

Damian was thankful for the distraction. Though he had Physics mastered at this point, he paid attention like his life depended on it. He didn’t want to think of whatever happened to him in the lunchroom. It was too confusing and every time he did think about it, his heart began to race again. He thought for sure that there was something physically wrong with him.

Damian was upset that his Physics distraction didn’t last for very long because way too quickly, the bell rang again. He was thankful though that his next class was his last class of the day and honestly one of his favorites. Gym.

The young billionaire entered the gym to see that in the very center was a long row of red balls. The typical set up for dodgeball.

Damian quickly took a seat with the rest of his class on the bleachers to wait for the bell to ring so the coach could explain the game to everyone. Just as he was beginning to relax, he caught sight of her.

She was looking around the room for something and after seemingly finding it, she skipped up to the coach.

“Hello.” She said just loud enough for Damian to hear. “I’m your new student.” She held out a paper to the coach.

“Marinette, is it?” The coach asked and the bluenette nodded in confirmation. “Alright.” The coach signed the paper and handed it back. “I’m Coach Hane but everyone just calls me Coach. Take a seat anywhere and we’ll get started as soon as the bell rings.”

“Thank you.” She says before quickly taking a seat.

It took all of Damian’s strength to not look at the Angel even though yet again, she was only a few feet away from him. He instead busied himself with trying to slow his heart-rate.

Moments later, the bell finally rang.

“Okay, everyone.” Coach spoke up. “Before we start with our game of dodge-ball, I’d like everyone to know that we have a new student, Marinette.” He gestured to the bluenette as the majority of the class waves at her. “Now, on with the rules. One team on one side and one on the other. No face shots or you are disqualified. If the ball hits you anywhere else, you are out and if someone catches the ball you threw, then you are out. We’ll start the game on my mark. Any questions?”

The gym was silent.

“Okay. I’m going to pick two people to start off the teams and then we will go back and forth letting you pick who you want. Chad, you’re on the left and Ron, you’re on the right. Ron, you pick first.” The two students stepped up and looked at the crowed of remaining students.

“Damian.” Ron said.

Damian didn’t find this surprising. Everyone knew how athletically gifted he was. That didn’t change the fact that he felt nervous to stand up there knowing she would no doubt be looking at him. He tried his hardest to ignore her stare but he still caught sight of her as he stood on his side with Ron.

His thoughts were immediately broken when Chad spoke up.

“Marinette.” He said as he gave the girl a wink and she blushed in return.

Damian never really had an opinion on Chad before this but all of a sudden he really hated the guy and this sudden hatred confused him. It wasn’t until she stood up and went to go stand next to HIM that he wanted to keep her away from him.

He didn’t even register the rest of the teams because he was too busy coming up with a way to get Chad out as quickly as possible. Though Chad isn’t his biggest obstacle for this game, it was priority number one to get him and his smug face out.

Coach ordered everyone to line up on their sides and Damian impatiently waited for him to blow his whistle to signal the start.

Damian was the quickest to move on his team to the line of balls when the whistle went off. He was acutely aware of someone else on the other team getting there before him but he was mainly focused on Chad who was still making his way to the center of the room.

Just as he reached the balls, he saw a flash of red in his peripherals and fell to his stomach to avoid the oncoming ball before quickly standing up and throwing his own. It hit Chad on the leg and Damian felt a surge of smug pride for himself.

This smugness didn’t last long because another ball was heading straight for him. He barely spun out of the way and turned to look at the direction it came.

Emerald green met bluebell blue again and Damian didn’t know how to feel. She was amazing. She moved with grace and precision and he had almost forgotten where he was at. It was another close call with a ball that was sailing toward him but he managed to catch it in the last second, getting a person on the far side of the room out.

Damian backed away from the middle line with the ball in hand to assess the room. Numbers were dwindling fast and it was clear that Marinette was carrying her team. Ron seemed to have better sense of who would be good at this game. That being said, the teams were dwindling at about the same rate.

The young billionaire decided to go for everyone except Marinette. In all honesty, he wanted to see what she was made of.

It was quick and easy work taking care of the other team. The only person he had to really look out for was Marinette. Soon enough, it was only her and Damian left.

This simple game had become the most trilling for him. For one, he got to watch her play and that alone was somehow enough to brighten his day but two, he was playing it with her.

She was flexible and fast. He watched as the balls moved at blinding speeds towards him and he almost struggled to keep up. He had never worked so hard at this game. He would have to quickly drop to the floor before rolling and flipping out of the way. It wasn’t until she had thrown all the balls to his side that he could finally take a breather.

He watched as she glanced all around the room for anything to throw and almost felt bad when she came up empty.

Damian knelt down to pick up the closest ball and gauged her for a moment. She had a look of pure concentration that he admired.

And then he went into action. It was like she was dancing around every ball that went her way. Just as he thought he had caught her she would gracefully jump over a ball or do a sudden split to avoid another.

Damian realized that he was quickly running out of balls but he wouldn’t dare slow down because that would give her the chance to pick up one of her own.

In a last ditch effort, Damian threw one of his last two balls as hard has he could directly at her knowing she would easily be able to duck under it. Without waiting, he threw his last one a bit lower knowing she would try to jump but it was too late.

His first ball had bounced off of the wall behind her and as she was jumping over the second ball, the first came back to hit her square in the back.

Damian heard cheering all around the room but watched as realization hit the bluenette on what happened. She looked behind her at the wall and then back at him in shock.

Damian was scared for a moment that he may have hurt her feelings but then she suddenly gave him a bright smile that practically winded him.

“Good job, you two.” Coach stepped directly between them. “That was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.” He waved to two forward.

It took him a moment but Damian eventually made his way to the coach with Marinette not too far behind.

“A+ for the day.” Coach smiled at the two. “But we have time for one more game and I want to give the other kids a chance. You two okay with sitting this last game out?”

Damian looked over at Marinette and she smiled that bright smile at him yet again. “I’m okay with that.” She said cheerfully.

“Yeah, that’s fine.” Damian said barely above a whisper.

“Okay. Go ahead and take a seat.”

Damian nodded before finding his way over to the bleachers and Marinette found herself a seat right next to him.

It was quiet for a moment as the rest of the students set up for the second game but once the whistle blew, Marinette spoke up.

“You were really good out there.” She said.

“Oh, uh…” Damian looked over to meet her eyes. “I think you really stole the show.” He spoke without thinking.

“Me?” She went red before letting out nervous laughter. “But I lost.”

“Yes.” Damian nodded. “But I have the feeling that that trick wouldn’t work a second time.” Damian smiled for the first time in a very long time.

“I guess you’re right.” She smiled down at her feet.

It was quiet for another long moment before anyone spoke again.

“Can I ask you something?” Marinette looked up at the young billionaire.

Under any other circumstances, Damian’s answer would have been no, but he found that he actually wanted to talk to this girl. This was a first for him.

“Sure.” He eventually said.

“Why do they call you ‘Ice Prince’? I mean… this girl Emily said she was scared for me when she saw me sitting at your table at lunch but I didn’t understand why or why she called you that.”

“Oh.” Damian nodded as he thought about how to answer for a moment. “They call me that because they see me as icy and cold. I scare all of them.”

“Really?” Her eyes went wide. “Why?”

“Because I am icy and cold to them. I don’t really like people sitting with me or talking to me and I made that fact very clear with all of them.”

“Oh.” She quickly frowned. “Do you not want me to talk to you or sit next to you anymore? I wouldn’t want to bother you.” As she spoke, she looked as though she was ready to leave at any moment.

“No!” He said a little too quickly. “I mean… I don’t mind.” Damian said a bit more calmly.

“Okay.” Marinette relaxed with a smile. “So, should I call you Damian or Ice Prince?” She giggled.

“I’d prefer if you’d call me Damian, Angel.” He grinned at her.

As soon as Marinette’s eyes went wide, he realized what happened. He had said in unconsciously. It was a simple slip of the tongue. It was the name he had given her before he had actually learned her name. He felt like an idiot for letting it slip.

“I’m sorry.” He apologized quickly. “I didn’t mean to call you that, Marinette.”

“No.” She smiled up at him and blushed. “I don’t mind…” She thought about that for a moment. “I kind of like it.”

“Oh.” Damian relaxed. “I’m glad.”

“You know, you don’t seem so icy to me, Damian.” The bluenette smirked up at him. “You’re giving me warm and fuzzy vibes. I think this school has been lying to me about you.”

“Warm and fuzzy?” Damian questioned.

“Yeah. You sort of remind me of a dog and I mean that in the best possible way.”

“A dog, huh?” Damian laughed. “I like dogs. I have one of my own.”

“So I was right?” She grinned.

“No. I’m definitely icy to everyone else.” Damian grinned back. “Those other kids weren’t lying to you.”

“Well I must be special then.” She jokes. “To what do I owe this honor of not dealing with the ‘Ice Prince’?”

“I don’t know.” Damian answers honestly.

Damian watches her features shift from playful to shocked and he realizes that it was more of a rhetorical question. She wasn’t looking for an honest answer and he wished more than ever that he had a better read on people. Though he knew he was good at many things, understanding the thoughts and actions of people wasn’t his strong suit.

“Well.” Marinette smiled and Damian instantly relaxed again. “Maybe one day we will figure it out.”

“Yes.” Damian sighed. “You’ll tell me if you do figure it out, won’t you?”

“You’ll be the first to know.”

“Thank you, Angel.” He gave her a small smile.

Before she could say anything else in return, the final bell of the day rang.

“Looks like we got to get going.” Marinette stood up. “I’ll be seeing you, Damian.” She waved before walking off.

“Goodbye, Angel.” He whispered to himself as she walked out of sight.


	2. Chapter 2

“So, how was school today, Baby Bird?” Dick had asked shortly after everyone was sat down for dinner.

It was a normal question and Dick would ask Damian this almost every day and the answer would always be the same, but today was different. Damian hesitated in his answer.

Dick gasped in excitement. “What happened? Did you punch someone again?” He laughed.

“No.” Damian glared at his adopted brother.

“Did you make someone cry?” Stephanie asked.

“No, Stephanie.” He snapped.

“Then what happened?” Tim asked with genuine curiosity.

“I…” He hesitated again. “Nothing.”

“If something happened while at school, Damian, then you should tell us.” His father said. 

“It’s nothing.” Damian went back to his food and focused on eating it.

“Doesn’t sound like it’s nothing.” Dick said calmly. “Tell us about it, Little D.”

“I don’t know.” Damian said, frustrated.

“What do you mean ‘you don’t know’?” Barbara asked.

“It’s just…” Damian looked up to see everyone looking at him with encouragement. Even Jason and Cassandra, which was odd for them. “There was this new student at school.” He shrugged before continuing to eat again.

“A new student?” Tim asked before sneakily pulling out his phone and looking at it from under the table.

“Then why did you hesitate?” Jason asked. “What’s so crazy about a new student, Demon Spawn?”

“Is this her?” Tim pulled out his phone for everyone to see and turned the screen around to show to Damian.

Damian looked at the photo and couldn’t help but to smile at it. There she was, clearly trying to smile for her school ID. You could tell the photo was taken suddenly and she was only able to half smile for the picture. He found it quite charming.

“Are you… smiling?!” Stephanie asked abruptly and a frown quickly replaced the smile Damian once had.

“You are utterly annoying, Stephanie.” Damian glared.

“You were smiling.” Dick grinned. “Hey, Timmy. Can I see that?” He gestured to the phone.

Tim happily handed it over to him.

“So, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” Tim raised an eyebrow at Damian.

Damian had never really heard her full name before and it caught him off guard for a moment. He suddenly disliked the fact that Tim found out before him. It was stupid to think that way though and Damian knew it.

“What do you all want from me?” Damian sighed.

“Do you like her?” Selina spoke up.

The question was straight forward but it confused him. “Yes?” He decided to answer.

“Why did you say that like you weren’t sure?” Stephanie asked.

“I don’t know.” Damian said, frustrated again. “I guess… I was okay with talking to her. I didn’t yell at her like everyone else.”

Damian looked over to see Cassandra look at him in shock and that made him even more frustrated that she was a mute and would never explain that reaction.

“Do you LIKE like her?” Tim asked with a grin.

“What does that even mean, Drake?” Damian looked at him with a bored expression.

“Well I don’t know.” Tim shrugged. “Do you think she pretty?”

“Yes.” Damian answered without hesitation. “But that doesn’t answer my question.”

“Does she make your heart race?” Dick asked with a soft smile.

Damian had to think about that. Was that why his heart was beating out of his chest back then? Because he liked her? He hadn’t realized that was a thing. “Yes?” He answered, still a bit confused by it all.

“Do you find yourself wanting to know more about her?” Stephanie added on.

“Yes, actually.” Damian found that he wanted to know a lot of things about her.

“Do you want to kiss her?” Jason smirked.

This question brought him up short. He had never really thought about it until he had said something. Was that something he wanted? Just imagining it made him want to try it and then that was suddenly all he could think about. Would that be something she wanted? He had no way of knowing.

“I’m going to take that as a yes.” Jason laughed.

Damian ignored whatever Jason was saying and instead thought back to Marinette’s rhetorical question earlier today. Why had she not dealt with Damian’s icy side? After everything his family was saying he was beginning to think that he LIKE liked her. He wasn’t sure what that exactly entailed though. Did he want to pursue a romantic relationship with her? He thought that he did but he hadn’t really known her for all that long. Maybe he would change his mind by morning? It was completely possible that he was persuaded by the other student’s excitement of her. He thought that that could be a possibility.

“Damian, did you hear me?” Bruce spoke up.

“What?” Damian asked his father and the rest of the family began to laugh at him.

“I said are you going to pursue this girl?”

“Oh…” Damian looked at his father, then to the rest of his family. “I don’t know.” He finally said.

“Just give me a heads up before you invite her over.” Bruce smirked before glancing over a Selina.

“So… Tell me about her.” Dick gave Damian an encouraging look as he turned Tim’s phone around to show the picture again. “What’s she like?”

“Besides super cute.” Stephanie said as she took a better look at the photo.

“I don’t know.” Damian shrugged nonchalantly. “I only spoke to her just the one time.”

“Well what did you talk about?” Tim asked.

“Just dodge ball… and myself.”

“Oh, now I’m intrigued.” Jason grinned. “Do share, Demon Spawn.”

“There’s nothing to share, Todd. We complemented each other on our dodge ball skills and she asked why the other students call me Ice Prince.”

“You complemented HER dodge ball skills?” Tim asked in shock.

“And she hadn’t figured out why they call you Ice Prince?” Jason asked in disbelief.

“She was quite adequate. I still won, of course.” Damian shrugged. “And no, she had not. It was only her first day at school.”

“Wow.” Dick looked at Damian in surprise. “That’s… something. She must be very good if you found a strangers skills adequate.”

“I’ve got to take Titus for a walk.” Damian said as he quickly stood up from the dinner table. He was clearly done with all of his families’ questions.

As soon as Damian was out of ear shot, everyone turned their attention to Bruce.

“He’s acting different.” Barbara said first.

“Yes.” Bruce agreed.

“I would like to meet this young lady who could get such a reaction from the young Master.” Alfred said.

“I agree.” Selina nodded.  
\---------  
Robin found himself a little annoyed that the streets were pretty quiet today. While on patrol with Nightwing, they only encountered two robberies on the three hours they were patrolling and the rest of the team was faring about the same.

The two were passing by the known building where Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn lived just as they always did. It was their job every few weeks to check on the two ladies now that they seemingly have turned over a new leaf. 7 months without crime still wasn’t enough to gain Damian’s trust though.

Just as they came upon the building, the two spotted the women on their rooftop taking care of their garden.

“Hiya, Nightwing! Hey, Robin!” Harley greeted when she caught sight of the masked heroes.

Robin never even acknowledged the woman and instead stood on the edge of the roof as his more friendly brother talked to the two.

“Hey, Harley.” Nightwing greeted. “This garden is really coming together nicely.”

“I know.” Harley smiled. “Isn’t Ivy amazin’?”

“She certainly does know how to make the place look good.”

“There is great beauty in the green.” Ivy nodded. “You coming over to check on us again?”

“You know Batman.” Nightwing shrugged. “And Robin over here.” He gestured the brooding teen standing behind him.

“Ya punch a kid one time…” Harley jokes before smiling over at Robin. “How ya doin’, kid?”

Damian only glared at the woman.

“Quite the chatter box, that one.” Harley laughs.

“What have you two been up to anyways?” Dick asked.

“Oh, you’re not going to believe this.” Harley grinned. “Red and I are fostering this sweet girl. She’s lovely, ain’t she Ivy?” The blonde looked over to the red head.

“Marigold is quite the sweetheart.” Ivy agrees.

“Wait.” Dick looks between the two women. “How did you end up doing that?”

“Oh, it was quite the process. We had to fill out so much paperwork and we had to send over our clean bill of health like five times before they would even consider us.” Harley huffed. “But we got really lucky. Apparently this girls’ parents were really happy to send her away to Gotham. It’s a shame too because she’s so nice and sweet.”

“Speak of the devil.” Ivy pointed to where a girl was walking out onto the roof.

“Marinette, sweetie.” Harley skipped over to the girl and wrapped her arm playfully around her shoulders and began to walk her back to the masked heroes. “This is Nightwing and Robin. Batman sent them to check in on us. Ya know… because we are the big bad guys.” She laughs right along with the bluenette.

Damian wanted to jump off the roof right then and there. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The girl that was plaguing his thoughts all day was yet again just standing a few feet away from him. Even worse than that, she was living with two of the most unstable women in his opinion. He didn’t know if he wanted to take her away from them or to just avoid her all together.

“Hello, Nightwing. Hello, Robin.” She waved at the two with a bright smile. “It’s so nice to meet some of Gotham’s heroes.”

“It’s nice to meet you too.” Dick says as he sneakily gives his brother a wink. “These two are treating you well, I hope.”

“Absolutely.” Marinette nods. “They’ve made me feel so at home.”

“If you see these two getting into any trouble, you’ll let us know, right?” Nightwing joked.

“I’ll make sure to light the bat signal.” Marinette giggled.

“Awe, have some faith.” Harley riffled the girls’ hair. “Ya wouldn’t really think we would do something bad, would ya?”

“No.” Marinette grinned. “Because I would talk some sense into you first, Aunt Harley.”

“Aunt Harley?” Robin questioned without thinking.

Everyone looked at him in shock except for the bluenette.

“Yeah.” She said. “Ivy and Harley have become like Aunts to me. They’re like family.”

“More of a family than your own parents treat you.” Ivy shook her head in disappointment.

“What does that mean?” Damian asked with genuine curiosity.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” The red head looked to the bluenette apologetically. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“No, it’s fine.” Marinette smiled softly before looking back to Robin. “My parents sent me away. They thought living in a place like Gotham would teach me some respect.”

“Some respect?” Nightwing questioned. “You don’t seem like the disrespectful type.”

“Because she’s not.” Ivy said with a hint of anger. “Her parents don’t know their daughter at all. Marigold is respectful and nice and good hearted. Her parents are blinded by lies.”

“It’s okay, Aunt Ivy.” The bluenette walked over to hug the angered woman.

“You’re right.” Ivy patted the girls head. “I’m just happy you found us, my little Marigold.”

Damian didn’t know how to feel about this. His mind was dragging him in so many directions. He was confused and dying to know the whole story but he knew it wasn’t his place to ask them, especially not in his Robin costume. He was also torn weather he liked that these strong willed women were taking care of her or scared for her. These women, now more than ever, showed genuine goodness towards another person besides themselves. He had guessed that if he somehow let his icy nature melt for this girl, that something similar could be happening to these women.

But most of all, he felt his own bit of anger towards her parents. How could they just kick her out of their life? This angelic girl that amazed him at every corner… what could they possibly see that could grant this kind of drastic decision? What sort of lies could be fed to them that they so willingly accepted? Did they not believe their own daughter? Damian thought the idea was ridiculous and he found himself grateful for his family that he knows would trust in his word.

“Well, we should get going.” Nightwing spoke up and this cut off Damian’s train of thought. “We’ll be seeing you ladies later.” He waved to the trio.

“Bye, Nightwing. Bye, Robin.” Marinette waved back.

Damian only slightly nodded to the girl before quickly following after his brother as they made their way back the cave.  
\---------  
“Welcome back.” Barbara greeted the two as they entered the cave. “You ready to debrief?”

“Oh, yeah. I got some exciting news to share.” Dick said as he and Damian met up with the rest of the bat family.

“Well then why don’t you go first?” Barbara grinned. “Everybody else doesn’t really have anything all that interesting to share. It was a slow night for everyone.”

“Great.” Dick sat down at the debriefing table with Damian not too far behind. “So, you know how today was our bi-weekly check in on Harley and Ivy?” 

“My girls are doing well, I hope?” Selina asked.

“Yeah. They aren’t starting any trouble.” Dick smiled. “But they did take in a foster kid.” Dick looked over to Robin. “You want to tell them about it, Little D?”

Damian only glared at his brother.

“I guess I’ll share the big news then.” Dick laughed. “Apparently they took in Marinette.”

“Harley and Ivy are fostering Damian’s crush?” Stephanie asked, shocked.

“Yeah, we were surprised too. She seems to really like them though. She even called them her Aunts.”

“This is big news.” Bruce nodded.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it though.” Selina said. “Those two really do have a soft spot for girls. Especially girls in need.”

“Well I would put her in that category.” Dick said.

“What do you mean by that?” Jason asked.

“From what I gathered,” Damian spoke before Dick could. “Her parents sent her away so she could learn some ‘respect’. They told us that her parents are consumed by lies about her. They have it all wrong though. Angel is a nice person.”

It went quiet for a moment after that. Damian cursed himself for letting that name slip again. Especially in front of his entire family. They were all looking at him like he had just started to miraculously fly or something. Well everyone but Cassandra. She was smiling at him like she was proud.

“Angel, huh?” Dick finally smiled at his little brother. “That’s a very sweet nickname, Baby Bird.” He patted him on the back.

“We’ll make sure to look into this.” Bruce said after another moment of silence. “Maybe Damian could get some intel from her at school. Until then, we should get ready for bed.”

Damian was thankful that his father wasn’t dwelling on this like the rest of his family seems to be. He made a beeline to change as quickly as possible.

Just as he was walking towards his bedroom, he was stopped from behind when someone grabbed his shoulder. He turned around to yell at whoever it was but stopped short when he saw that it was Cassandra.

“What is it?” He whispered, still a little annoyed.

She stared at him for a short moment before giving him a proud smile. Cassandra lifted one hand up to point to his chest. Well, more likely, his heart and then she nodded one time.

Damian knew what it meant. She was proud that he was opening up a little and she wanted him to follow his heart. Kind of cheesy in his book but he knew now more than ever what that actually meant. In all honesty, his head was too jumbled to follow anyways.

“I know, Cassandra.” He whispered. “I will.”

She nodded once more before walking off.


	3. Chapter 3

For once in Damian’s life, he was excited to go to school, but more than that, he was extremely nervous. He found himself grateful that he wouldn’t have to talk to her until lunch time but he was also saddened by this fact. He had so many things he wanted to ask.

These questions circled his brain as he made his way to the schools front steps. Just as he was about to reach for the handle of the door to walk into school, a hand shot out in front of his to grab it first.

Damian looked up to see that it was Marinette and she quickly opened the door for him. He cursed his rotten luck that he didn’t have as much time to prepare as he thought he would.

“Good morning, Damian.” She smiled brightly at him.

“Good morning, Angel.” He couldn’t help but to smile as well. “You’re here early.”

“I could say the same to you.” She giggled.

“I always arrive early.” He spoke as the two walked down the halls together. “It’s less crowded in the mornings that way.”

“Oh, that’s right.” She nodded. “You don’t like to talk to people or be near them, do you, Mister Ice Prince?”

“That’s right.” Damian couldn’t help but to chuckle.

“But I’m the exception, of course.” She beamed. “You haven’t figured out why that is, have you?”

“I might be getting close to figuring it out.” The young billionaire said honestly.

“Oh, so you’ve got some theories?” She raised her eyebrows in question.

“Possibly.” He smirked down at her. “Do you?”

“Sure I do.” The bluenette chuckled. “Maybe we can exchange notes later.”

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”

“Great! So I’ll be seeing you at lunch?” She asked as she stopped in front of a classroom door.

It wasn’t until she had stopped that Damian realized that he was going the complete wrong way for his first period class. He must have walked with her all the way to her first class instead.

“Sure. I’ll see you then.” Damian waved as the girl disappeared into the classroom.

Once she was gone, he quickly turned around and started to walk toward his actual class. That was when he started to mentally kick himself for keeping the topic on him. He was supposed to be getting to know her but it was way too easy to get lost in conversation with the girl. Not to mention that his father wanted him to gather some intel on her.

After the first bell had rang, Damian found that the day went by way too slow for his liking. He had all of his questions set up in his head on what he would ask the bluenette but lunch seemed like so far away. Each class he was in felt like it was longer than the last.

And finally, after 4 long hours, he made it to the cafeteria. Damian wasted no time as he quickly went and grabbed his food. By the time he sat down at his table, he was practically giddy with nervous excitement.

It was another three minutes before he caught sight of her in the lunch line. He had to remind himself multiple times to calm down as he watched her make her way towards his table.

“Hey, Damian.” She greeted as she sat directly across from him.

“Hello, Angel.” He smiled at the fact that she decided to sit closer to him today. “So how has your day been going?”

“Pretty good.” Marinette smiled. “This school is certainly better than my old one, that’s for sure. I was afraid that I wouldn’t like Gotham but it’s really grown on me.”

“Really? Where are you from?” Damian asked as he watched her toy with her food. “France, I’m guessing?”

“It’s the accent, isn’t it?” She giggled. “Yeah I lived in Paris.”

“Paris?” Damian couldn’t help but to compare the two cities. In his mind, Paris was by far a better city in almost every aspect. “Gotham must be a very big change.”

“You have no idea.” Marinette huffed.

“What was your old school like? If you think that GA is better then I’m guessing your old school must not have had the best academic programs.”

“Oh, no.” She shook her head. “It’s nothing like that. It was more about the people in the school that made it bad.”

“You think that the students here in Gotham are better than the students in Paris?” Damian seemed very surprised by this.

“Well I have to admit that Chad is a bit of an aggressive flirt, but yes.” She giggled. “The students here are a million times better.”

Damian didn’t like the comment about Chad but he decided he would come back to that. “I don’t understand.” The young billionaire said as his eyebrows knit together.

“Oh, well…” Marinette looked down at her food for a moment. “I don’t know if you want to hear about all my problems. It’s kind of depressing.”

“Tell me.” Damian said earnestly.

“Okay.” The bluenette looked up at him. “Well I guess I would have to start by saying that the school wasn’t always bad. I had plenty of friends and my teachers were nice and overall it was great.”

For whatever reason, Damian felt very engrossed by her story. He never really found people’s lives all that interesting until now. “Then what happened?”

“This girl Lila transferred to my school.” The way that Marinette said the girls name was like it physically hurt her. “She came in and was telling everyone these fantastical stories. Everyone all instantly became friends with her, but I knew something was wrong, so I looked into it. She was lying to everyone. Every story she told and every famous person she said she knew… It was all lies. Anything she ever said never lined up. I of course told my friends all of this.” She frowned down at her food. “Long story short, no one believed me. They thought I was jealous of her because she would flirt with this boy I had a crush on. Anyways,” The bluenette looked back up to Damian. “One day I was cornered in the bathroom by her and she told me to stop trying to out her or she would turn everyone against me. I was never going to give in and side with a bully so I told her I wouldn’t. She ended up succeeding though. Lila even convinced my parents that I was physically bullying her at school on a daily bases. I told my parents that all her bruises were just makeup, but Lila’s tears were very convincing. The disappointment on my parents’ faces was heartbreaking.” By the time she had finished her story; small tears began to form in her eyes.

Damian remembered back when he thought that her eyes were hiding some unknown hurt and now he understood why. Just because of one bullies lies, she had lost all of her friends and even the trust of her own family. 

Damian’s hand moved across the table before he even realized what he was doing. He took a gentle hold of the girls hand to get her attention. He watched her shocked expression for a moment as she stared down at their joined hands but instead of backing away now, Damian decided to take Cassandra’s advice and follow his heart. He only hoped that his heart was leading him in the right direction.

“I’m so sorry this girl did that to you, Angel. You don’t deserve this.” Damian watched as the bluenette looked up into his eyes with a small smile. “If there is anything I could do to make this right, then I would do it. Without hesitation.”

“Thank you, Damian.” She put her free hand on top of his, which was already holding her other hand. “But I’m doing a whole lot better now that I have moved to Gotham. My new foster moms are great and Gotham isn’t nearly as bad as my parents made it out to be. I’m even making some new friends.” She smiled brightly at him.

It was quiet for another moment while the two teens took their hands back. Damian instantly wished that he had the warmth of her hand in his again.

“So, your foster parents… what are they like?” Damian chose to ask.

“I’ll be honest that I was worried at first. When I saw their names back when I was in Paris, it didn’t really click who they were. It wasn’t until they picked me up at the Gotham airport that I found out who they are.” She grinned.

“Who are they?” Damian asked, even though he already knew the answer.

“Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy.” Before she even let Damian react, if he would have at all, she continued. “Now I know what you are thinking, but they really are just the best. They haven’t done anything crime related in over 7 months. Those women have completely earned my trust.”

“You feel safe with them?” Damian asked.

“I honestly do. Harley is tons of fun and always knows how to cheer me up and Ivy is so gentle and caring. The two also really know how to cook. Bud and Lou are really fun too.”

“Harley Quinn’s hyenas?” The billionaire had to grin at that.

“Yeah.” Marinette giggled. “They are like big puppies with menacingly sharp teeth. I think you would like them. You said you had a dog, right?”

“Yes. He’s a Great Dane named Titus.” He smiled at the fact that she remembered.

“Well I would love to meet him one day.”

“I would like that.” Damian agreed.

“So tell me more about you.” Marinette smiled as she began to eat her food. “You have heard my tragic back story. Yours must be better than mine.”

Damian had more questions he wanted to ask her but it felt rude to try and dodge her questions. “What do you want to know?”

“I don’t know.” She thought about it for a moment. “What’s your family like?”

“Well… My father has adopted many kids. I’m his only biological child.”

“Really? How many siblings do you have? I’m an only child.”

“Well technically my father has only adopted four kids but there are two others that he considers his children. Even if one of them already has a father.”

Marinette smiled brightly at him and waited for him to continue.

“Father adopted Richard Grayson, Jason Todd, Timothy Drake and Cassandra Cain. Stephanie Brown and Barbara Gordon are our pseudo family.” He shrugged. “We have quite a full house at all times.”

“Wow. Your father is very admirable to take in all those kids. I bet you have a lot of fun at your house.”

“I wouldn’t say I have fun.” Damian shook his head. “They all drive me insane.”

“Oh, I bet. Tell me about them.”

Damian couldn’t help but to oblige. Her genuine interest made him happy. “Grayson is the oldest. He’s a detective at GCPD. His girlfriend is Barbara and her father is the police commissioner. Todd is the rebellious one. He’s the most infuriating and he jokes around far too much. Drake works with my father as co-CEO of Wayne Enterprises. His girlfriend is Stephanie. She’s a bit too excitable for my liking sometimes. And then there is Cassandra. She’s mute but she can say a lot with her eyes.”

“They sound wonderful.” Marinette said with a smile. “I would love to meet them too.”

“Careful what you wish for, Angel. They can be quite clingy.”

Marinette was about to respond to him but the bell suddenly rang. “Wow. Lunch went by so fast.” She began to stand up and gather her things.

“You’re right.” Damian frowned at the though.

“Don’t look so down.” Marinette giggled as they threw their trash away. “I’ll see you again at Gym.” She waved.  
\---------  
Damian almost ran to Gym the second the bell dismissed him from class. If you would have told him yesterday morning that he was eager to speak to a classmate, let alone a girl, he would have punched you square in the face for talking such nonsense. Today was a different story though. His thoughts practically revolved around the girl.

He knew this change was drastic. He had only known the girl for a day. That didn’t change the fact that he wanted to learn every single thing about her. He really wanted to get to know her and he never wanted to get to know anyone besides his pets. This was new for him.

Damian had read some books and seen a few movies (mostly forced onto him by his family) and he was really beginning to understand them now. He now understood the feeling of finding one single person so interesting. Every single bone in his body told him that it was irrational but he found that he didn’t seem to care at the moment.

The second he stepped inside the gym, he looked around for her but found that she wasn’t there. He took notice of the bucket of tennis balls and rackets but otherwise went to go sit down and wait for the bluenette. She entered only a minute later.

Damian watched the bluenette make her way towards him with silent elation. She was within ten feet of him when Chad suddenly stepped up to her.

“Hey, Marinette.” He spoke to her with his back facing Damian.

“Oh, hey Chad.” She looked up at him with what Damian thinks is a rather forced smile.

“We are pairing up for tennis today and coach said we get to choose our partners. You wanna team up?”

Damian wanted to punch this kid in the back of the head so badly that he had to grip the bleachers seat so he wouldn’t get up and try it. He instead decided to watch what Marinette would do.

She was looking between him and Chad. “That’s very nice of you, Chad, but I already have a partner.”

Damian was confused by this. She hadn’t known about the partner thing and she had only just entered the gym. Already having a partner made no sense.

“Really? Who?” Chad asked, a bit offended.

“Damian.” She pointed to the young billionaire and a surge of happiness went through him when she said this.

“The Ice Prince?” Chad asked, appalled as he looked back at him. Damian glared at him in return and he immediately flinched away.

“That’s not his name, but yes.” She nodded before walking past him to go ahead and sit next to Damian.

“That’s the aggressive flirt, huh?” Damian whispered in her ear so only she could hear.

She immediately giggled in return and Damian watched as jealousy flashed in Chad’s eyes. He wasn’t sure why, but this satisfied him to no end.

“Yep.” She replied. “Not to be mean or anything,” Marinette whispered back. “But I really don’t want to spend another class talking to him.”

“Another class?” Damian asked as he watched Chad walk away, defeated.

“Yeah, I have to sit next to him in my math class.” Marinette huffed. “I mean, I’m sure he’s great and all but I’m kind of over the whole over the top flirting thing. I had to deal with it for quite some time back in Paris. It gets old fast.”

“Do you want me to tell him to back off?” Damian smirked.

“No, not yet.” She chuckled. “If he begins to harass me then you can have at it.”

“He better not harass you.” The young billionaire said with a serious face.

“Oh, I think it will be fine.” Marinette giggled at his seriousness. “Plus, I think that me just being near you has warded him off for a bit.”

“You think?”

“You made him physically flinch. Don’t think for a second I didn’t see that.” She smirked at him.

Before Damian had the chance to reply, the bell rang signaling the start of class.

“Alright everyone.” Coach said. “Find yourself a partner and each of you grab a tennis racket and one ball to share.” He ordered.

Marinette stood up and Damian quickly followed after her as they each grabbed a tennis racket and a singular ball. The coached followed up by giving them instructions on hitting the ball between the two. It was a simple exercise of hand eye coordination. Damian found that Marinette kept up easily.

As they were hitting the ball back and forth, Marinette finally spoke up.

“So, what will you be doing Friday after school?”

“Tomorrow is Friday, right?” Damian asked even though he never really did much besides go home after school. Meeting this girl has really thrown him out of whack.

“Yeah.” She nodded.

“Nothing, really. Why do you ask?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to do something. It’s been awhile since I have ever hung out with a friend. I think it will be nice.”

“Oh, uhh.” Damian had to really concentrate to hit the ball this time as it came back towards him. “I don’t really hang out with friends either. What were you thinking?”

“I could go to your house.” Marinette shrugged as she hit the ball back to him.

Damian let his racket hang slack at his side and the ball went bouncing past him. He wasn’t sure if he liked that idea or absolutely hated it. On one hand, he really did want to introduce her to all of his pets and to have her with him in his own comfortable space such as his room but on the other hand, the idea of her officially meeting his family scared him. He couldn’t control what his family would say to her.

“Or not.” Marinette said quickly. “We don’t have to hang out at all if you don’t want to.”

“No! I would love to hang out.” Damian said after seeing her apologetic face. “You can come to my house.”

“Really?” Marinette smiled so brightly that he couldn’t even regret his sudden decision. “Oh, that’s great to hear.”

Damian smiled in return as he went to go fetch the ball. After a few more times of them hitting it back and forth, Marinette spoke again.

“I’m going to have to talk to my Aunt’s though. I’m sure they will be cool with it but I need to be sure. Before we leave school today, is it okay if I have your number? I would like to keep you updated.”

“Absolutely.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Cool, I got your massage.” Marinette grinned down at her phone as she sent a quick message back. “I’ll text you later tonight with my Aunt’s answer, okay?”

“Sure thing, Angel.” Damian said as the two stopped by the schools front steps.

“Well, there’s my ride.” The bluenette pointed to a bright red convertible that has just pulled up to the school. Harley was in the drivers’ seat wearing rather large sunglasses and smiling brightly towards the pair of teens. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Damian.”

“See you tomorrow.” The young billionaire gave her a soft smile.

Just as the girl was walking away, she suddenly stopped in her tracks to turn back at him. “Oh, wait! One more thing.” She ran back to him.

“What is it?” He asked as she approached.

“I need a picture for your contact.” She quickly held up her phone for a selfie and looped her arm around his waist and gave a big smile to the camera. 

All Damian could do was look down at her in shock. His heart was racing faster than it ever had and he could only assume it was because of their sudden closeness.

“Come on, Damian.” The bluenette looked up at him. “Smile at the camera for me?”

“R-right.” Damian snapped himself out of whatever trance he was in and turned towards the camera with a weak smile.

Her phone clicked and she stepped away from him as she looked at the screen. “Cute!” She said with a smile. “I’ll make sure to send this to you.”

Then the two teens heard honking coming from a few yards in front of them. Damian looked up to see that it was the same red convertible from before.

“Come on, Sweetheart!” The spunky blonde playfully shouted at the bluenette. “I just went grocery shoppin’ and the foods thawing out. Quit your flirtin’ and get your butt in here!”

Marinette looked around at all the students now looking at her and she quickly went red with embarrassment. She ducked her head and made her way to the car without making eye contact with anyone around her. Damian couldn’t help but to laugh at her reaction. He found it absolutely adorable.

Shortly after the red car was out of sight, Damian swiftly made his way to the student parking lot and got into his own car. During the whole drive back to the manor, all of his thoughts were plagued by the bluenette.

He thought about what it felt like to be so close to her and what it felt like to hold her hand. He thought about her bright smile and how it always took his breath away. He even thought about the fact that Harley thought that she was flirting with him. He didn’t think that she was flirting with him though. All she wanted was a friendly picture, right?

Then he began to wonder what them flirting would be like. He had practically no experience with flirtation whatsoever and he suddenly began to wonder if she really was flirting. Had he ever flirted with her without knowing? If he had, he wasn’t trying. What would him even trying look like? This is what he was thinking about when he stepped into the manor.

“Welcome home, Master Damian.” Alfred greeted, cutting off his train of thought.

“Thank you, Alfred.”

“You look happy today.” The butler smiled at him. “Did something good happen, Master Damian?”

“I just… had a good day. Now if you’ll excuse me.” Damian said before walking off to his room.  
\---------  
Damian was taking Titus for a walk just before dinner when he felt his phone go off. He quickly pulled it out to see that it was a message from Marinette.

***  
Marinette: Good news! My Aunts are okay with me coming over after school tomorrow. They were surprised that I became friends with you though. XD They even called you the Ice Prince too.  
***

Damian couldn’t help but to laugh at that. In all honesty, he was surprised he became friends with her too.

***  
Damian: That’s good to hear, Angel. I’ll be sure to tell my father tonight at dinner.

Marinette: Awesome! By the way, here is that picture I took. Isn’t it great? (Image Attached)  
***

Damian tapped on the picture and stared it in wonder. Marinette looked as radiant and cheerful as ever and it wasn’t really a surprise to him. What surprised him was their closeness and his own expression. It was a look he had never seen on himself. He had slightly red cheeks from his blushing moments before and a soft, yet awkward smile that was rare for him. He found himself envious of his past self though. Their faces were mere inches apart.

Damian wasn’t sure how long it took him to snap out of it but he eventually did so he could text her back.

***  
Damian: Yes. It is a great photo.

Marinette: Who knew you were so photogenic?

Damian: I’m not sure I would call myself photogenic.

Marinette: Well I think you are. Hey, I got to go help my Aunts with dinner. I’ll talk to you later.

Damian: Goodbye, Angel.  
***

“There you are.” Dick spoke up from across the gardens.

Damian looked up to see that Dick was giving him a knowing grin and the smile Damian had suddenly faded. “What do you want, Grayson?”

“Alfred told me to come get you. Dinner is ready.” He smiled at his younger brother.

“I’m coming.” Damian huffed.  
\---------  
“So, Damian.” Bruce spoke up shortly after dinner started. “Did you happen to get any more information on this new girl at school?”

The way that Bruce asked this question made Damian feel like he was asking it more as a father interested in his sons’ relationships rather than as Batman wanting to know more about the happenings of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. He wasn’t sure how to feel about this and he dreaded the fact that he would have to inform him about Marinette wanting to come over.

“She told me a little bit about her situation.” Damian spoke like he was giving a report. “Apparently she was heavily bullied in her last school by a liar. She ended up slowly losing all of her friends and this girl convinced her parents that she was being physically abusive towards her. They sent her to Gotham as punishment.”

“Wow.” Jason looked serious for once. “That’s awful.”

“Yes.” Damian nods. “It is. On the bright side, she said that she is enjoying Gotham more than she thought she would and that Harley and Ivy have made her feel at home. She really likes them for some reason.”

“Well yeah.” Stephanie agrees. “Wouldn’t you like them too if you came from a home where your own parents didn’t believe you and kicked you out, to a home where two women took you in and lovingly took care of you? Say what you will about those ladies but if they went through all the trouble of legally finding a way to foster a teenage girl, then they really want to do it. I think those two are trying to start a family the only way they know how.”

“Steph is right.” Selina says. “And Harley and Ivy love that girl. They are ready to protect her at whatever cost. I talked to them today and the way that they spoke about her was beautiful. With how much love they give that girl, it’s no wonder Marinette likes them. It would be hard not to.”

“I suppose your right.” Damian looked down at his food as he pondered on this information.

“Of course she’s right, Baby Bird.” Dick smiled softly at his brother. “I wouldn’t worry too much about her home life now. It sounds to me like she is better off than she was before.”

“Plus, if it wasn’t for Harley and Ivy” Tim butted in. “Then Marinette would never have come to Gotham. And that would have been a shame, now wouldn’t it?” He smirked.

“Yeah.” Damian accidentally voiced his thoughts.

“Awe!” Barbara smiled and Damian quickly regretted his actions. “That’s very sweet, Damian.”

Damian scoffed in return.

It was quiet for a long moment while everyone was eating. The whole time Damian was trying to figure out a good way to bring up the topic of inviting over Marinette. As soon as he would muster up the courage to try and speak to his father, he would look up at him and chicken out. This frustrated him to no end. He had never backed down from anything before so why was this so challenging to him?

On his fourth or fifth try, the moment he looked over to his father, Bruce spoke first.

“Just spit it out, son. Tell me what’s on your mind.”

“Oh, uhh…” Damian looked around at everyone’s questioning gaze and steeled himself. He was tired of over thinking things. “Marinette want’s to come over after school tomorrow.” He spoke like it was an order but he knew his false bravado wasn’t faring too well. He wasn’t as confident as he normally was.

“Oh, well that’s quicker than I thought.” Jason smirked. “Was this your idea, Demon Spawn?”

“No.” Damian glared at him. “Marinette offered up the idea.”

“And you said yes?” Tim asked with an eyebrow raised.

“Yes.”

“And how does Harley and Ivy feel about this?” Bruce asked.

“She texted me just before dinner. She said they are okay with it.”

“Texted, huh?” Stephanie laughed. “You already got them digits? Who knew you had it in you?”

“She asked for my number, Stephanie.”

“Oh, a straight forward gal?” Barbara smiled. “I like her even more now.”

“Tell her that we’ll have a plate for her for dinner and that we will drive her home before ten.” Bruce said. “I look forward to meeting her.”

“Thank you, Father.”

“Wow.” Jason smiled over at Damian. “I can’t believe Demon Spawn is inviting over his girlfriend.”

“She’s not my girlfriend, Todd.” Damian barked.

“Okay.” He chuckled. “Your future girlfriend then.”

“Whatever.” Damian scoffed.

“I didn’t hear an argument there, Jay.” Dick grinned. “That means he totally thinking about the possibility.”

“That’s if he doesn’t scare her off before then.” Tim adds.

“I’m not going to scare her off, Drake.” He rolls his eyes.

“At least not on purpose.” Stephanie pats him on the back. “Just make sure you be nice to her.”

“You’d think I’d be mean?” Damian looks thoroughly offended.

“Well I hope not.” Stephanie says honestly. “I think we all like her and we would all be a little disappointed if you did.”

Damian looked around at everyone’s faces to see that they were all in agreement with that statement. When his eyes met Cassandra’s, she was looking at him with that same proud smile. He couldn’t help but to give a quick, small smile in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for all the nice comments you are leaving. Even though I may not respond to all of them, just know that I do see them. Your encouragement is what keeps me writing and I'm so glad someone out there is enjoying my work. It means the world to me.


	5. Chapter 5

Damian had found himself texting Marinette all day while at school. It made him wish that he had more than just two classes with her… Well if you considered lunch a class. He was only able to talk to her for a few minutes in the morning before their first classes started and all they really had time to do was greet each other and make small talk about the evening ahead of them before they had to split up again.

So his classes dragged on like the day before. Not even occupying his time by paying attention to the lectures would help. He felt like he was moving at a snail’s pace. Damian wondered if it was a good thing or a bad thing that this girl seemed to alter his grasp on time. Before he had ever met her, time had always moved at a steady pace for him.

It wasn’t until he was with her that time seemed to move again. In many ways he wished that it wouldn’t. He was happy to spend time with her but it seemed to move way too fast in his eyes. Just as he was comfortably enjoying himself, that God forsaken bell would ring and split them apart again.

That didn’t change the fact that he was trying to get to know as much about her with the limited time he had while at lunch. He learned that she had never had a pet before Bud and Lou but that she always wanted one. She lived in a bakery before coming to Gotham and therefore pets weren’t aloud. Damian also learned that she was an aspiring fashion designer and in his honest opinion, her work with the subject was great. She even voiced her distaste of the school uniforms and how she could improve upon them if it was allowed.

Marinette even asked a few questions as well and Damian found that he was happy to answer when he could. She asked if he had any other friends and was disappointed when she found out that he only had one.

“Just one?” She had asked with a frown. “Well they must be something special to be your only friend.”

“I wouldn’t say Jon is special, contrary to what he may believe. He’s really just a giant pain.” Damian rolled his eyes.

“That’s not a very nice thing to say about a friend.” She spoke sternly at him.

“I guess you’re right, Angel.” He smiled sheepishly. “But I’m only being honest. I guess I tolerate Jon better than most people though. He isn’t as bad as all the other kids our age.”

“You know what I think?” Marinette grinned. “I think you actually really like him.”

Damian only pouted at her observation in return.

“See? You know I’m right.” She beamed at the billionaire.

“I just wouldn’t tell him that.” Damian huffed. “Then he would annoy me for all eternity and then I would really hate him.”

Marinette laughed at his comment and he found himself basking in the sound of it. It quickly became one of his most favorite sounds in the world. But then it was followed by one of his least favorites. The school bell.

They parted ways with a friendly goodbye and once the bluenette was out of sight, Damian fell back into the feeling of time moving at a snail’s pace. For whatever reason, his physics class felt like the longest of the day. It might have been that they were taking a test and he found himself finished way before everyone else. This of course, was a common occurrence but just sitting there waiting was driving him mad. It didn’t help that Marinette seemed to be taking her own test in her own class and therefore she wouldn’t respond to his text. He knew better than to bother her.

He occupied his time by counting the linoleum tiles of the classroom floor. By the time he was on his eleventh time through, the school bell rang again. He was the first out of the class.

He knew he would beat her to Gym so he went ahead and sat on the bleachers to wait for her. Three and a half minutes later, he finally got to see her again and this time he wouldn’t have to say goodbye until later tonight. He would be driving her to his house after school.

Just as she was a dozen feet away from him, Chad had yet again stepped up to her with his back to the billionaire.

“Hey, Marinette.” He said. “Have you thought about what I said?”

Damian watched as Marinette’s usually cheerful attitude turned to acute annoyance. He understood the feeling. He was sort of annoyed in the situation as well.

“Listen, Chad.” She took a deep breath. “I’m sure you are great and all but my answer is still no. And please don’t worry about who I do or do not hang out with. Your worry is unneeded. Even if you are right, which you aren’t, then I can take care of myself. I don’t need you or anyone else to protect me.” Marinette forced herself to smile at him. “But thank you for your concern anyways.” She said sharply before walking past him to take a seat next to Damian.

“What was that about?” Damian asked the bluenette as he gave Chad another mean glare that immediately had him heading in the opposite direction.

“Chad is being annoying.” She lightly shook her head.

“Is he harassing you?”

“No.” Marinette looked up at him. “But he did ask me on a date and I told him no. He then told me that I shouldn’t be hanging out with you because you might try to hurt me or something. I told him that that was ridiculous but he was adamant about it. He told me to really think about his offer and his advice.”

“The audacity.” Damian said with hate in his eyes as he looked over at the boy in question. “What kind of pompous idiot does he think he is, talking about me like that? And his fragile ego can’t take no for an answer? Maybe he needs to have another lesson in consent. No means no, not ask again later.”

“Don’t worry about it, Damian.” Marinette said as she grabbed his hand, which was grasping on the bleachers seat with all his strength.

He immediately looked down at his hand and relaxed at the touch. She softly uncurled his fingers and gently took his hand between both of hers. He looked back up into her eyes to see that she was giving him a warm smile.

“I think he’s just jealous that we are friends. He’ll get over it soon enough and if he doesn’t, then we can do something about it, alright?”

“Okay, Angel.” He gave her a smile just as warm.

“Thank you.” She whispered just as the bell rang.

Coach began to speak and the two were forced to let go of each other, though neither of them really wanted to. “Alright class. Today we will be doing laps around the gym. There is no need to full on sprint but please, no slacking off. At least walk at a moderate pace. You may talk amongst yourselves but please don’t be too loud. You may go head and begin.”

Damian stood up first and waited for Marinette to do the same. Soon enough, the two easily kept pace with each other as they did laps around the gym. They kept a moderate walking speed just as Coach ordered.

“So, what should I expect when I come to your house?” Marinette asked after a minute of walking.

“Well Alfred will be there to greet us.”

“Oh. The butler.” Marinette nods as she remembers talking about him in their text messages from earlier in the day.

“He’s more of a grandfather to my siblings and I. He will most likely be the most pleasant to speak with.”

“He sounds great. What about your parents?”

“My father has just recently married his fiancée. Selina is nice I suppose. You’ll meet her and my father at dinner.”

“Selina Kyle? My Aunts were talking to her on the phone the other day. Apparently they have been friends for years…” She went quiet for a moment. “Does your father know about her past?”

“Yes, he’s aware.” Damian nods stiffly, not wanting to be so close to that subject.

“Well, love is blind.” Marinette says cheerfully. “You would be surprised what people can look past when they love someone. Although from what I hear, Selina is a nice woman who was just born to unfortunate circumstances. She did what she did out of necessity.”

Damian went quiet as he thought about that. How ironic it was that that situation applied to him too, only more drastic than burglary, in Selina’s case. He knew that his family loved him and therefore would overlook his worst mistakes and past deeds. Would Marinette ever do the same if she learned the whole truth about him? He wasn’t too optimistic about it. He feared that she was too good of a person to overlook his dark past. He wouldn’t blame her.

“Yes.” Damian eventually said. “I suppose you’re right.”

“I usually am.” Marinette giggled. “You better not forget it, too.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Damian finally looked over to the bluenette with a smile.

The rest of gym was filled with happy conversations between the two.  
\---------  
“Wait… THIS is your car?” Marinette stared wide eyed at the vehicle. “And I though Aunt Harley’s convertible was nice.”

“And this is the more subtle of the vehicles in fathers’ garage.” Damian chuckled as he opened the passenger door for her.

“Really?” She smiled as she got into the vehicle and Damian shut the door behind her.

“Yes.” Damian answered after getting into the drivers’ seat. “You’ll see when we get there.” He started up the car and began to drive off.

“I mean, I knew you were the son of a billionaire, but…” Marinette looked around at the lavish interior. “I guess I wasn’t expecting this.”

Damian couldn’t help but to laugh. Her expression reminded him of a child seeing the beauty of the stars for the first time. Pure wonder.

During the whole drive to the manor, Damian watched as Marinette took in her surroundings with interest. The look on her face when he pulled up to the manors’ gates even had him staring in wonder, only not at the house before him but at the girl beside him. It made him want to show her even more amazing things. The look on her face was something he wanted to see all of the time.

“You were right.” Marinette gasped when seeing all the cars in the garage. “I’ve never seen cars like these before.”

“Maybe we can take a drive in one of them sometime.” Damian offered.

“You mean it?” She asked in excitement. “Will your father be okay with that?”

“Of course, Angel.” He nodded as he turned off the car and began to step out.

Marinette was quick to follow suit. Just as Damian opened the door and gestured for her to step inside, they were immediately greeted by Alfred just as promised.

“Welcome home, Master Damian. Greetings, Miss Dupain-Cheng.” He looked at the girl in complete interest. “I’m Alfred Pennyworth but you may call me Alfred.”

“Hello, Alfred.” She happily shook the mans’ hand with a smile. “It’s so good to meet you.”

“Likewise, Miss Dupain-Cheng.” The butler couldn’t help but to smile in return. “Welcome to Wayne Manor.”

“Thank you.” She giggled. “This place is so beautiful.” Marinette looked around the room in awe.

“Oh, Demon Spawn brought his girlfriend over!” Jason exclaimed as he, Stephanie, Cassandra and Barbara came into the room.

Marinette quickly went red at the comment.

“Todd, I already told you.” Damian barked. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

“Yet.” Jason rolled his eyes before going to stand in front of the blushing bluenette. “I’m Jason by the way. You’re Marinette, right?” He stuck his hand out for a handshake.

“Yes.” She smiled at the man before shaking his outstretched hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Jason.”

“Aw! So cute.” Stephanie said as she pushed Jason out of the way to stand in front of the girl. “I’m Stephanie but you can call me Steph if you’d like. I’m so glad you came. Damian doesn’t really invite people over.”

“So I’ve been told.” Marinette giggled when seeing Jason being pushed away. “It’s nice to meet you too, Steph.”

“And I’m Barbara.” The red head said as she wheeled herself closer. “And this is Cassandra. We all just call her Cass for short.”

“Hi, Barbara. Hi, Cass.” She waved to the two.

Cassandra smiled and waved in return.

“So,” Stephanie smiled brightly at the bluenette. “I was wondering if Damian has been nice to you since you two met. You’re way too cute for him to glare at and I’ll personally beat him up if he does.”

“Oh, uh.” Marinette smiled awkwardly at the blonde. “No. Damian’s been very nice to me. I’ve only ever really seen him glare at Chad before and it was kind of funny to be honest.”

“Chad?” Jason raised his eyebrow at the name. “And why was Demon Spawn giving ‘Chad’ the death glare?”

“I don’t know.” Marinette giggled. “Why were you, Damian?” She looked over to the young billionaire.

“Like you don’t know why, Angel.” Damian smirked back.

“You’re right.” She continued to giggle.

“Wow.” Jason looked between his brother and Marinette before turning to face his other family members. “Did you all see that too?”

“Yes we did, Master Jason. A welcoming change, I might add.” The butler turned to the two teens. “Master Damian, why don’t you show Miss Dupain-Cheng around for a bit. I’ll be sure to call on you in a few hours’ time for dinner.”

“Yes, Alfred.” Damian guided the bluenette away while sending death glares to his more annoying siblings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know a lot of you have questions about the Miraculous and what all happened while in Paris with the whole Hawkmoth thing, but I feel like it is best to keep it all a mystery at the moment. I don't want to ruin any surprises.


	6. Chapter 6

“So,” Marinette said as soon as they were out of hearing distance from the rest of his family. “Your family seems pretty nice. I like them.”

“They were trying to embarrass me.” Damian huffed.

“Yeah, but that’s what families do.” Marinette lightly punched him on the arm. “Tell me you wouldn’t do the same if you were in their shoes.”

“I suppose I see your point.” The young billionaire smiles at the girl. “I guess I should show you around and then I’ll introduce you to my pets. How’s that sound?”

“Sounds great.”

Damian walked her all throughout the manor, pointing out rooms as they went. Marinette never once showed any boredom towards this. She found absolutely every aspect of the house to be beautiful. She would even ask questions here and there and most of them he could answer, but it surprised him when she would ask about things he had never thought of and therefore wouldn’t know the answer to them. He was glad to be challenged nonetheless and being in her company made him happier than he has ever been in a long time.

“And this is my room.” Damian came to a stop at his door at the end of his tour. “Are you ready to meet Titus and Alfred the cat?”

Her face quickly brightened. “Yes!” She said with excitement.

“Okay.” Damian smiled before reaching for the door knob and opening it.

Marinette wasn’t disappointed. The second the door opened, she was bombarded by the large Great Dane causing her to fall flat on her butt.

“Well hello, Titus.” She giggled as the large dog licked her face. “Aren’t you handsome? Who’s a good boy? Who’s a good boy!?” Marinette cooed.

Damian couldn’t help but to genuinely laugh at the sight. The dog was just as, if not bigger than she was.

“Titus.” Damian said between laughter. “Give her some space.”

The dog happily obliged and backed up a few feet before quickly sitting. Damian held out a hand to help the girl up and she gladly accepted it.

“Oh, I love him already.” Marinette giggled.

“I’m sure he thinks the feelings mutual.” Damian chuckled before walking into his room and gesturing for Marinette to follow.

He watched as Marinette’s eyes looked all around the room, as if appraising it and Damian found himself suddenly nervous. 

“Wow. It’s so organized in here.” She noted before suddenly locking eyes with a cat lying at the foot of Damian’s bed. “Oh, a kitty!” She squeaked.

Marinette quickly stepped up to the cat and reached out to pet it. After seeing it gladly lean into her touch, the bluenette sat on the edge of the bed to give it more attention. Soon enough, she was lying in the middle of the bed with the purring cat lying softly on her chest.

Damian found himself unprepared for this moment. It was an innocent enough act but he hadn’t realized the thoughts that would go through his head when seeing her in his bed. He so badly wanted to sit on the bed with her but he felt as though it would ruin the moment she had made with his cat. They were clearly enjoying themselves.

“You know, if they didn’t already have such a great owner, I would totally steal them from you.” Marinette joked.

Damian had to clear his throat before he could speak. “Well I think you would find that task to be rather difficult anyways.”

“Your right.” Marinette giggled as she sat up and put the cat in her lap before scooting to the edge of the bed. “This place is like a fortress. I wouldn’t make it past the front gate.” She said as she reached over to pet Titus as well.

“Although if that weren’t that case” Damian smiled. “I’m sure they would willingly go with you.”

“Yeah but I’m not sure Bud and Lou would like the competition.” She giggled before looking up at him. “Hey, why don’t you take a seat?” She patted the spot on the bed next to her. “There is no need to stand around.”

“Uh…” Damian looked at her then to the spot next to her. “Alright.”

Damian made sure to keep at least a foot between them. He wouldn’t dare impede into her personal space. He wouldn’t dare do anything that could possibly make her uncomfortable.

“You know, your room is like the complete opposite of mine. I wish I was this neat and organized.” Marinette smiled over at him. “I have half completed clothing everywhere and my sewing space is a complete mess. I’m surprised I haven’t lost everything I own.”

“Well Alfred likes to keep us organized.” Damian grinned as he pet Titus as well. “And you don’t want to see Alfred disappointed.”

“No.” She giggled. “I guess you wouldn’t.”

Comfortable silence fell between the two as they were each petting the dog. Damian found that he really enjoyed this simple moment but he thought that just doing anything with her would be enjoyable.

“So,” Marinette broke the silence and turned her body toward him with a bright smile. “What do you usually do around here for fun?”

“Fun?” Damian had to think about that. His fun usually centered around training and patrols but that wasn’t something he could really share with her, no matter how badly he wanted to. “I guess… walking Titus is fun. I also paint sometimes although I haven’t really done so in quite a few months.”

“Paint!?” Marinette squeaked. “Why didn’t you tell me this before? That’s awesome! Can I see something you have painted?”

Damian had a whole room full of paintings, although it’s not something he could show her. Some of them would give away his secret. He frowned at himself for bringing that up before suddenly coming up with an idea. “I don’t have anything with me at the moment but I can do you one better if you would like.”

“Sure. What is it?” She said earnestly.

“I could paint something for you. Be forewarned that I’m not really into abstract or anything like that. More realism is my style.” He shrugged. “But if I can see it then I can paint it.”

“Oh, wow.” Marinette smiled brightly at that. “That sounds awesome!”

“Is that a yes?” Damian questioned.

“Absolutely. But I’m not sure what I would want you to paint.” She tapped her chin in thought.

“Just think on it.” Damian grinned. “You don’t have to tell me today. I’d need to buy some more painting supplies anyways.”

“You know,” Marinette looked over to Damian with one of the sweetest smiles he has ever seen. “I never thanked you.”

“Thanked me? For what?” He asked honestly.

“For not kicking me out of your lunch table on my first day and for talking to me and giving me the chance to become your friend. I don’t think you realize how thankful I am. I really needed a friend.”

“But… what about all of the other kids?” Damian was thoroughly shocked by this. “Everyone was talking about you on your first day. You had to have had people try to make friends with you.”

“Well yes, but they were all extremely overwhelming. It was like they were all trying to one up each other to try and impress me. I’ll be honest that the only one to ever truly empress me was you, and I don’t think you were trying.”

“I impressed you?” Damian was confused. “But I don’t understand.”

“At dodge ball?” Marinette giggled. “I mean, you were amazing. You made me really have to work and I still lost.”

“Oh.” Damian nodded. If he was being honest with himself, he thought that she was more impressive. In fact, everything she does practically impresses him. “But… I think I should be the one to thank you. To be completely honest, I did want to kick you off the table on your first day.”

“Really?” Now it was Marinette’s turn to be confused. “Then what changed your mind?”

“Well,” Damian busied himself with petting Titus because he was too afraid to look her in the eyes. “I at first decided to let it go because you weren’t actively trying to talk with me and when I saw that you had earbuds in, I figured it was too much trouble to try and get your attention to tell you to leave. I thought that if you weren’t going to bother me that I would just ignore you… But then you started to hum.”

Marinette gasped at that. “I was humming!?” She squeaked.

Damian had to look up at her shock. “Yes.”

“That’s so embarrassing.” She buried face in her hands.

The young billionaire couldn’t help but to laugh at her reaction. “Angel, don’t be embarrassed. I think that that was the start of a turning point. You sounded wonderful.”

The bluenette had to peek through her fingers to see if he was being truthful. “Really?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t lie to you, Angel.”

“Oh.” Marinette let her hands drop. “Thanks, I guess.” She let out a little nervous giggle.

“Anyways.” Damian looked back at Titus. “I tried to ignore you just as I was but I couldn’t. I found it so strange that you kept interrupting my thought so I looked back at you to try to find justifications in my actions. I of course found nothing, only you sketching away while you hummed like an Angel, so I looked away again. That’s when I remembered hearing about what the other students were saying about you earlier in the day and I began to wonder if what they were saying was true, so I looked at you one more time to see if they were. You, of course, were already looking at me and I found that my stupid frustrations vanished. All I could do was stare while you stared back.” He kept his eyes on the dog as he finished his recollection of that day. “But it’s still confusing to me, although I’m slowly starting to understand now. So I should thank you. If it wasn’t for you sitting there and humming beautifully like you were, then I don’t think we would have ever become friends and that would have truly been a travesty.”

It was quiet for a moment before Marinette reached out to grab Damian’s hand and Damian had to look up at her despite his nervousness of the honesty of that story. She was giving him a smile that he couldn’t fathom. He couldn’t understand the reasoning behind such a soft and warm smile directed his way. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t thrilled by it. He was ecstatic that she looked at him that way. His heart was racing.

She then suddenly pulled him into a hug that caused the cat that was in her lap to jump free. Damian was shocked for a couple of heartbeats before tentatively hugging her back, but once he did, he found that he never wanted to let her go. He buried his face into her neck and smiled brightly to himself. She smelled like home to him, like a place where he was safe and would always belong. He was aware of the fact that he might have been hugging her a little too tightly but she didn’t seem to mind. She only hugged him tighter in return.

And then there was a knock on his door frame which caused the two to jump apart. Damian had forgotten that he had left his door open and was angry and appalled at the same time. They looked over to see that it was Jason at the door, looking rather embarrassed himself.

“Uh, sorry to interrupt… whatever this is.” He grinned awkwardly as he gestured to the two. “But everyone just came home. Alfred wanted me to come get you two so Marinette could meet the rest of the family before dinner started.”

“Okay.” Marinette stood up quickly and looked back at Damian. “Let’s go.”

Damian nodded as he got up as well to follow them out.


	7. Chapter 7

Damian watches as Jason gives a silent look to his siblings as they enter the living room and he knows immediately what it means. He has something important to tell them and it’s all too obvious what that something is. He would punch him in the back of the head right now if it wasn’t for the fact that Marinette was standing directly next to him.

“There she is!” Stephanie squeaks as she skips up to the bluenette. “Let me introduce you to the rest of the family.” She drags her away from Damian, much to his dissatisfaction.

“This is Tim, my boyfriend.”

“Hello, Tim.” Marinette shakes his hand with a smile.

“Hey, Marinette.” He smiles in return. “Steph is right. You are too pretty and nice for Demon Spawn.”

“Oh, uh…” Marinette goes red. “Thank you, I guess?”

“And this is Dick.” Stephanie gestures to the man standing next to Tim.

“It’s good to finally meet you, Marinette.” Dick smiles warmly at the girl. “And if Baby Bird ever gives you any trouble, you let me know, okay?”

“Baby Bird?” Marinette giggles as she looks between Dick and Damian. “How cute. I like it.”

“Oh, you are adorable.” Dick pats the girl softly on the head. “I’m starting to understand it now.”

“I know, right?” Barbara laughs from beside him.

“Moving on.” Stephanie guides the girl to the next new face. “This is Selina.”

“Oh, right.” Marinette shakes the woman’s hand. “Aunt Harley and Aunt Ivy told me about you. I’m glad to finally meet you.”

“Likewise, little kitten.” Selina smiled. “I can see why Pam and Harls speak so highly of you.”

“Thank you.” The bluenette beamed.

“And this is Bruce.” Stephanie gestured to the towering man.

“Thank you for allowing me over today, Mr. Wayne.” Marinette smiled at the billionaire before holding her hand out to shake.

“Please, call me Bruce.” The billionaire lightly shook her hand. “And it’s no problem, Marinette. I’m more than happy to have you here. I only hope that my family is being hospitable.”

“Of course.” Marinette beamed. “I only wish I had such a large and loving family like yours. Although Harley and Ivy are great and I wouldn’t trade them for the world.”

“Aw!” Steph, Barbara and Dick cooed at the same time.

“Let’s keep her!” Dick added on.

“I’m not so sure Harley and Ivy would like that.” Bruce couldn’t help but to grin at his oldest son.

“Joint custody then.” Steph said. “We keep her on the weekends.”

Before Bruce could argue back, Marinette suddenly burst into laughter and everyone looked at her in wonder.

“You guys are funny.” She said between giggles. “I like all of you.”

“You think they are joking, but they aren’t.” Damian grinned over at her as he stepped up to stand beside her.

“If it will make you feel any better, I will come over as long as Damian wants me to.” The bluenette looked around at everyone with a genuine smile.

“Aw, screw Damian.” Stephanie wrapped her arm playfully around Marinette’s shoulders. “You can hang out with the rest of us.”

“Steph can be a bit annoying.” Jason pushed the blonde out of the way before wrapping his arm around her shoulders in Stephanie’s place. “I won’t blame you if you leave her out of our fun, Pixie-pop.”

“Mean.” Stephanie flicked Jason in the side of the head and he immediately began to rub the spot she hit. “Don’t listen to him. He gives awful advice.”

“If you want advice from anyone in this family” Barbara spoke up. “Then I would get it from Cass. She’s your best bet.”

Marinette couldn’t help but to laugh again and this time the rest of the family joined in. Even Cassandra was smiling brightly.

But Damian knew that Barbara was telling the truth. Cassandra listened more than anyone else and though she couldn’t write or speak, she gave excellent advice.

“It’s good to see everyone in such high spirits.” Alfred smiled as he walked into the room. “By the way, dinner is ready. Would you like to take this to the dining room?”

“Yes, Alfred. Thank you.” Bruce nodded before everyone began to follow him out.  
\---------  
“Wow.” Marinette said after taking the first few bites of her food. “This is by far one of the best meals I have probably ever had.”

“Thank you, Miss Dupain-Cheng.” Alfred smiled at the complement.

“Please, call me Marinette.” The bluenette grinned at the butler. “I’m not really the biggest fan of my last name anyways.”

“Well why not?” Tim asked. “Too long? Not a fan of hyphenated names?”

“No, it’s not that.” Marinette suddenly frowned. “It’s a bad reminder.”

“Oh.” Tim had a look of true sorrow on his face. “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay.” Marinette began to smile again. “I was lucky I got to start anew. I was planning on legally changing my last name when I turned 18 anyways. That will be the last step to finally saying goodbye.”

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Selina spoke up. “Harls was telling me a little bit about your situation before coming to Gotham but she kept it very vague. It honestly doesn’t make any sense. What happened?”

Marinette looked around at everyone’s curious faces and found genuine comfort in each and every one of them. She took a long, deep breath before starting to speak.

“Well I was being bullied by a Liar.” Marinette shrugged as she began to stab at her food. “And she was a really good manipulator. She didn’t like me very much because I knew the truth and so she threatened to take away everyone I loved. She began to slowly turn all my friends and teachers against me one by one. She made me out to be this jealous, spiteful person who was trying to tare her popularity down or something.” The bluenette looked up to see everyone’s earnest faces. “Anyways, my parents were hearing about all the ‘bad things’ I was doing for months and so I was constantly grounded. They kept telling me that if I apologized to my class for everything that I supposedly did that they would unground me. I decided to give it a shot but I played right into the liars’ hand. I apologized even though there was nothing to apologize for and the next day she came crying to my house with bruises all over her. I mean… they were EVERYWHERE. They were fake of course but my family didn’t believe me. They threatened boarding school, boot camp… so many awful things. But I thought they were just threats. I didn’t want to believe they would kick me out. But then the liar showed up to my house again and this time there was blood. I had to admit that it looked very real. That girl could have a career in SFX makeup if she was the one who did it, although I can’t give her that much credit. She probably manipulated someone into doing it for her.” She shrugged. “In the end, my parents decided on Gotham. They thought this city would scare me straight. They thought that I would be begging for forgiveness and that I would finally tell them the truth about all the ‘bad things’ I had done. I’m never going to reach out to them again though, although I don’t think they really mind. They were never sad to see me go even though I cried and begged them to change their minds. I think they were relieved that they wouldn’t have to deal with me anymore. I was too much of a hassle for them, I guess.”

By the time Marinette was finished with her story, silent tears were running down her face, but instead of looking sad, Damian saw true anger in her eyes. He didn’t like it and he didn’t like that he now had a little bit more of the story because this new news made him angry too. He remembered her saying this liars’ name before and although he hated this ‘Lila’ the first time hearing her name, she was now up there with the Joker. How could such a despicable monster do something like this to his Angel? She had no redemption in his eyes.

Looking around the room, Damian saw that the majority of everyone’s faces read the same. Even Alfred’s usually passive demeanor cracked to show a little sadness for the girl and anger towards the situation.

“I’m so sorry, Marinette.” Barbara said comfortingly. “If there is anything we can do for you, please let us know.”

“Thank you.” The bluenette finally smiled. “But it’s all in the past now and I’m more than happy to move on. Like I said, my last name is the only reminder now and I don’t plan on keeping it.”

“Well what if you took on Pam and Harls’ last names?” Selina asked.

“We discussed it but I legally can’t change it until I’m 18. My parents still have custody over me and if they were to ever want me back, which I doubt, then I would have to go back. Harley and Ivy are only fostering me while I’m here in Gotham.”

“Your parents don’t deserve custody over you.” Damian scoffed.

“Trust me… I wish they didn’t. Not anymore.”

“Do you think they would put up a fight if Harley and Ivy did fight for custody over you?” Tim asked.

“I don’t know.” Marinette sighed. “I thought I knew them at one point but I don’t. They might just fight it to spite me or… they might just let me go and be done with it.”

“Well we should think about that later.” Bruce smiled at the bluenette. “We wouldn’t want to keep dinner on such a sour note.”

“You’re right.” Marinette giggled. “I didn’t meant to burden you with my depressing backstory.”

“You are not a burden, Angel.” Damian smiled warmly at the bluenette.

“Damian’s actually right, shockingly.” Stephanie chuckled. “Marinette, we like you. Don’t be afraid to tell us what’s on your mind, no matter how depressing it may be. We’re here for you and we want to help. Especially a good friend of Damian’s. We will always look out for each other.”

Damian watched as the bluenette smiled gleefully at Stephanie’s words before looking around at everyone’s agreeing nods. He was very thankful at the moment for his family’s willingness to help this girl and that they have already so quickly taken her in as one of their own. It’s all that he could have ever asked for from his family.

“Thank you.” She sighed in what Damian thinks is relief. “If it means anything to you, then I will be there for all of you as well.” The bluenette beamed.

“Awesome, Pixie-pop.” Jason grinned widely at the girl. “That means you’ll be there for me whenever Demon Spawn tries to inevitably attack me, right? You’ll have my back?”

“Oh.” Marinette giggles. “Well, no promises there.” She smirked. “But I’ll be there to cheer you both on.”

“You’re going to fit right in, Cupcake.” Dick laughs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are slowly learning more and more about what really happened to Marinette. Poor girls been through it...


	8. Chapter 8

It was just after dinner and Damian found that he was actually having fun with his family and Marinette. During the tour he had given the bluenette earlier in the day, he had shown her the basketball court they had in his back yard. She apparently had taken a liking to it and had convinced almost his entire family to play. Only Alfred, Bruce, Selina and Barbara sat out but they all watched with interest.

They were in teams. It was boys against girls with Dick refereeing (and for good reason because some liked to cheat) and Damian found himself envious that he wasn’t on Marinette’s team. She was insanely good at the game and that said something because they were all good at the game.

But Marinette’s accuracy with the ball rivaled Jason who was without a doubt the most accurate of them all, despite what they all may think. She was giving all the boys a run for their money.

Damian had already had a feel for her speed so he knew what he was getting into but the rest of his family did not. Even the girls on her own team struggled to keep up with her. The only thing that hindered the girl was her height. She was shorter than everyone here but that meant that she had to work that much harder to out maneuver the boys. And out maneuver she did.

The girls quickly caught on to what she could do and would pass her the ball at any opportunity. Marinette really knew how to juke a player. On multiple occasions she had tripped the boys up so she could make her shot and this exact shot is what won her team the game. She left Jason fumbling to try and block her and he ended up falling on his butt, allowing the girl to make her game winning shot.

“Nothing but net!” She said excitedly as she gave both Stephanie and Cassandra high fives at their victory.

“Wow.” Dick chuckled as he and Tim helped Jason up. “And Jay thought girls against boys would be too easy.”

“Not with Marinette on our team.” Steph beamed as she wrapped her arms around both Cass and the bluenette. “That’s the last time you underestimate us girls.”

“Hey, I wasn’t the one that was gloating. I had full faith in you, babe.” Tim grinned at his girlfriend.

“You better.” Stephanie giggled.

“Well that was embarrassing.” Jason said before grinning at the bluenette. “Good game, Pixie-pop.”

“Rematch me any time.” Marinette smiled.

“Rematch? No, I’m on your team next time.” Jason said.

“Like hell you are.” Damian scoffed. “Angel’s with me next time. After all, you are the idiot who chose girls verses boys. That wouldn’t have been my first pick.”

“Oh, really? Then who would be on your team?” Tim asked.

“That’s easy.” Damian shook his head like it was obvious. “Cassandra and Marinette.”

“That unfair!” Jason yelled. “You’d be leaving me with Steph and Tim!”

“If you’ve got something to say, Jay, then say it to my face.” Stephanie stomped up to Jason.

“Yeah.” Tim agreed. “What’s your problem with us?” He challenged.

“Calm down, kids.” Bruce stepped up onto the court before looking over at the bluenette. “By the way, Marinette, you are quite the athlete. Color me impressed.”

“Thanks, Bruce.” Marinette beamed.

“Were you by any chance on a sports team when you were in Paris?” The billionaire asked.

“No.” The bluenette shook her head. “I honestly don’t get to play that many sports that often. That’s why I wanted to come out here and play so badly.”

“Well you could have fooled us.” Barbara spoke up. “You’re amazing.”

“Oh, uh…” Marinette went red at the complement. “Thanks.”

“It’s getting late.” Bruce said. “And I’m sure your Aunts want you home.”

“You’re probably right.” The bluenette nods.

“Damian.” He looked over at his son. “Why don’t you drive her?”

“Yes, Father.” Damian quickly agrees.

“Well I guess I’ll see you all later.” Marinette turns to look at everyone else.

“Say hello to Pam and Harls for me.” Selina walks up to give the girl a hug. “Come back soon.”

“I will.” She beams.

One by one, the girl says goodbye to the rest of the family. She even ends up giving everyone else a hug as well, which most gladly accept but it throws some off guard, like Bruce, but even he can’t deny her charm and hugs her back as well. Damian felt a pang of jealousy for each and every hug she gave but was happy that everyone seemed to like her. Jason and Dick even already gave her nicknames which was a telltale sign that they liked her. He wasn’t sure why, but he was glad for his family’s approval.

“You ready to go?” The bluenette asked, effectively cutting off his train of thought.

“Absolutely, Angel.” He nodded before walking her back to the garage where his car was.

The bluenette quickly gave Damian her address (though he already knew where to go) as soon as they made it to the garage.

“I had a ton of fun today.” Marinette said as she and Damian were getting into the car. “Thank you for taking me here today.”

“It’s no problem, Angel. I’m glad you had fun.” Damian spoke as they began to drive off. “To be honest, I was afraid that my family might scare you off today but you handled their tomfoolery very well.”

“That’s understandable.” The bluenette giggled. “But I like your family. They know how to keep things interesting.”

“That’s one way of putting it. I can only imagine what they will be like when I get back home.” He huffed. “Or what they are saying right now.”

“They care about you, Damian, and it really shows. I’m honestly kind of jealous. You have the kind of family I always wanted, although Harley and Ivy are way more than I could have ever asked for. Even though it’s only the three of us, we almost have as much love to give as you and your large family.”

“You think they care?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Why else would they clear a whole evening just for a new friend you made? They want you to be happy.”

And Damian realized that she was right. He knew that his family probably had better things they could be doing but they spent the evening with him and his new friend.

“Yes, Angel. You are right. I only wish that they wouldn’t be so obnoxious about it sometimes.”

“Well, we can’t have it all, now can we?” Marinette chuckled.

“No, but I suppose it doesn’t hurt to try.” Damian smiled at the bluenette. “Even if it is unlikely.”

“We should hang out again sometime.” She smiled back.

“Whenever you are free, you let me know.”

“I’m almost always free. Well except on Sunday’s. My Aunt’s saved Sunday’s for family days. The three of us always go out and do something fun.”

“Well how about tomorrow then? I’m pretty much free all day. Father will want me home before dark though.”

“You read my mind.” She smiled brightly. “We could always go to Gotham Park and bring Titus. Aunt Ivy said that place is beautiful but I haven’t been there yet. And then maybe afterwards we could get something to eat?”

“That sounds lovely, Angel.” Damian said as he came to a stop in front of Harley and Ivy’s apartment. “I’m sure Titus will be thrilled to see you again.”

“Wow. That was a quick drive home.” She looked up at the building. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“I look forward to it, Angel.”

“Thank you again.” She looks back at him with a smile before unbuckling her seatbelt and reaching for the door.

Just as the door was slightly opened, she quickly stopped and turned to give Damian another hug from across the car. Damian was shocked just as he was the first time, but he managed to hug her back quicker than before. He didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Again, he got that same feeling of home from her.

He couldn’t quite explain it, but she somehow felt so right in his arms. Like she belonged there but he quickly thought it was selfish to think that way. He didn’t want to be selfish with her and he then decided that she belonged wherever she was happiest. After all, that was what she deserved.

And then Damian finally let her go.

“Goodbye, Damian.” She whispered with a smile.

“Goodbye, Angel. Have a good night.”

“You too.” Marinette says before finally exiting the car.

Damian watched her disappear inside the building and then took a deep breath to try and restart his heart before driving back home in a blur.

The second he made hit home, he was bombarded by his family. He had barely stepped foot inside the house before they all began to speak to him.

“Jason told us everything!” Stephanie squealed. “You have to tell us what happened.”

“Yeah, I can’t believe they were hugging like that.” Jason added. “It looked like way more than a friendship hug, I’ll tell you that.”

“I think she really likes you.” Barbara smiled.

“And isn’t that strange?” Tim chuckled.

“We all very much approve, Baby Bird.” Dick smiled warmly at his youngest brother.

“Will you all shut up and let him answer my question?” Stephanie yelled. “I want his side of the story. Jay can skew things.”

“I do not!” Jason looked thoroughly offended.

“Whatever.” Stephanie waved him off. “Tell me about it, Damian.”

Damian had no desire to share anything so he instead decided to change the subject. “Where is father?”

“I’ll tell you if you tell us your side of the story.” Stephanie suggested.

“Forget it. I’ll find him myself.” He started to walk past them.

“Hold up!” Everyone yelled as they all began to block his way.

“We aren’t letting you leave until you tell us!” Stephanie added.

“We have an hour until patrol and then father will want us down into the cave.” Damian glared at all of them. “I will not hesitate to wait here for that long.”

“Just tell us about it and then we will leave you alone.” Stephanie said, annoyed. “We will keep asking you until you tell us.”

“What do you even want from me?” Damian was really starting to get annoyed now. “What’s the big deal about a hug? She hugged all of you, did she not?”

“Yes.” Jason nodded. “But our hugs and your hug was very different. Ours were more friendly and lighthearted and yours seemed… very intimate. Even I didn’t want to break you two apart. I kind of felt like a sudden third wheel or something. I honestly didn’t expect to see that kind of thing from you.”

Damian was surprised by Jason’s honesty. He was waiting for some joke or jab at his character but Jason left it at that. Damian looked around at everyone else’s faces and saw that they were all waiting for his reply. Even Cassandra was waiting with a soft, comforting smile. He wanted to scream.

“I don’t know what you want from me.” He finally said with a sigh. “She wanted to thank me for becoming friends with her but I told her that I was the one who was thankful. I told her about the first time I had seen her and how I didn’t want her to sit with me at first but I had decided to let it slide because she was minding her own business. I told her about how she began to hum to herself without knowing and that she sounded so angelic. I told her how confused I was that that I kept thinking about her even though I didn’t know why. And then I told her about looking over at her and when I saw that she was already looking at me, all my frustrations vanished. I told her I was still confused by it all but that I was slowly starting to understand it now and then I thanked her for becoming my friend. After telling her all of that, she just… hugged me and I hugged her back.”

“You… confessed?” Stephanie asked, surprised.

“Confessed?” Damian asked, confused. “Confessed to what?”

“To liking her, duh.” Barbara said.

“I didn’t tell her that I liked her. At least not in the way that you are thinking.”

“Yeah.” Tim said. “You kinda did.”

“No.” Damian shook his head slowly. “I was just telling her that I was the one who was thankful and explained why.”

“Yes.” Dick grinned. “And by being truthful, you confessed that you liked her.”

“But I-I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to.” Barbara smiled. “Just by explaining your thoughts and actions… She knows you like her.”

“But I was thanking her… for being my friend.”

“You did that too.” Dick smiled. “But think about it this way. If she hugged you so intimately like Jason says, then I would say that she at least feels somewhat the same towards you. Don’t look so upset, Baby Bird. For an accidental confession, I would say it went pretty well.”

“Dick is right.” Jason nods. “And uh… Sorry for ruining your moment, Demon Spawn. I may be a jerk sometimes but I’m not an asshole. My bad.” He grins awkwardly.

“You think… she likes me?”

“Well we don’t have the full story but I think its promising.” Barbara says. “But the only way to know for sure is to ask her how she feels.”

“But I don’t… How would I even…” Damian looked around at everyone in panicked confusion.

“Relax, Damian.” Stephanie gave him a comforting smile. “You don’t have to rush into it and ask her right away. Besides, you have a few days until you see her anyways.”

“No I don’t.” Damian shakes his head. “She wants to hang out again tomorrow at the park. That’s what I wanted to ask father about.”

“Oh.” Jason laughs. “She’s dying for hug number two, huh?” He jokes, trying to lighten the mood.

“Three actually.” Damian whispers.

“Oh…” Tim says in shock. “Well if she doesn’t like you then I will be very surprised.” He points down the hall. “Bruce is in the study.”

Damian nods before walking off towards the study.

The door is already open and just as he made it to the door way, his father speaks up, clearly already expecting him.

“Come in, Damian.”

Damian walks as casually as he can up to his father before taking a deep breath. “Marinette invited me to go to the park with her tomorrow.” He said.

“And do you plan on going?” Bruce asked with a ghost of a smile.

“Yes. This is why I am telling you. I will be gone for the afternoon.”

“I’m glad.” Bruce nods. “Marinette in an impressive girl. I hope this works out for you, son.”

“Yeah.” Damian sighs. “Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really tried to make this a little bit of a slow burn but its just not in my nature to do it. I'm way too addicted to the fluff. I want all the adorable couples things. Sorry not sorry.


	9. Chapter 9

Patrol was a bit busier than the days prior and Damian was thankful for that. He was able to focus all his attention on recapturing Bane, who had escaped again. He found that he didn’t have the time to over think about Marinette like he had been.

It took the whole team all night to bring Bane to justice and by the time they had all gotten home, it was clear how tired everyone was. Sleep for everyone that night came easy. Well except for Tim but when has it ever came easy to him?

But this was the first night Damian dreamt of Marinette. Damian’s dreams were usually very monochromatic and would always revolve around his hero work and sometimes even nightmares of his past. Tonight though, his dream was colorful. Vivid bluebell blue was the most prominent color but he still saw flashes of reds and pinks and every other color in the rainbow.

And his dream was truly happy and peaceful. She was just there with him doing normal, everyday things. They were sitting in his room talking while they played with his pets and then they took a walk around the manors grounds. She would hum and giggle, his favorite sounds in the world. He almost wanted to hum with her but his interference would ruin the sound.

They were laying in the grass looking up at the unusually white and fluffy clouds in the Gotham sky when the sound of someone knocking at his door woke him from his pleasant dream.

“It’s time to get up, Master Damian.” Alfred spoke from the other side of his door. “Breakfast is ready.”

Damian looked up at his ceiling with a sigh. “I’ll be down in a moment.”

The young billionaire never wanted to go back to sleep so badly but he knew that the real thing was coming in just a few hours so he sat up and began to get ready for the day.

Before he had exited his room, he sent a quick good morning text to the bluenette. It was the weekend though and he knew better than to expect her to reply right away. It still felt right though to be the first to wish her a good morning. He only hoped that the sentiment met her well.

By the time he had made it to the dining room, everyone was already seated. He refused to make eye contact with anyone as he took his seat as well and began to start eating his food.

He was surprised the silence lasted as long as it did but he knew the questions would be coming.

“So, you’re hanging out with Marinette today, right?” Barbara asked.

“That’s the plan.” Damian glared at her.

“Do you have anything else planned?” Stephanie smiled.

“What’s it matter to you?” Damian barked.

“We’re just curious, Little D.” Dick soothed. “We like her and we all know you do too.”

“Well I don’t know what today will bring, okay?” Damian said, frustrated. “We are just taking Titus to the park and then having a late lunch.”

“Take your time, Damian.” Bruce said calmly. “Just have fun. Don’t worry about the rest.”

“And make sure she has fun too.” Selina grinned. “Then see where it goes.”

Damian only nods at the advice.  
\---------  
It was a few hours after breakfast and was now time for Damian to go and pick Marinette up. Titus was happily sitting in the back seat of the convertible he decided to drive today.

Damian was glad he was able to bring Titus. The dogs’ presence always seemed to calm him down, no matter what mood he was in. The drive to the apartment was an easy one.

The second he pulled up to the apartment in question, he saw Marinette standing outside along with both Harley and Ivy. Damian found that he didn’t like this fact but steeled himself before getting out of the car and ordering his dog to stay.

“Hey, Damian.” Marinette greeted and Damian finally took notice of what the girl was wearing.

He hadn’t realized that he had only seen the girl in their schools uniform before now. Today she was wearing a bright red dress instead and it showed off more of the girls’ body than he was expecting. The dress stopped mid-thigh and had long bell sleeves that made her look whimsical every time she moved her arms. Her hair was up in a high ponytail today and this showed more of the soft features in her face. She looked more angelic than ever in his mind.

“Hello, Angel.” He said breathlessly.

“Damian, these are my Aunts, Harley and Ivy.”

Damian snapped out of his trance to look over at the women.

“Hello.” He nodded once.

“Aw, he is handsome, Marinette.” Harley skipped up to the boy with Ivy by her side while Marinette went red at the comment. “Harleen Quinzel.” She stuck her hand out. “Nice to meet ya.”

Damian reluctantly shook the woman’s hand.

“Pamela.” Ivy said as she held her hand out as well.

Again, Damian reluctantly shook it.

“You’re Mr. Wayne’s youngest, right?” Harley grinned.

“Correct.”

“I see the resemblance. Ya look just like ‘em. Besides the eyes.”

“Yes. I get that a lot.”

“So,” Ivy spoke up. “We hear your taking Marigold to the park.”

“That’s where she wanted to go.” Damian nods.

“Very accommodatin’.” Harley laughs. “Is that your dog in the car?”

“Yes.” Damian doesn’t even look back to where the woman is pointing.

“His name is Titus.” Marinette spoke up cheerfully. “And he’s super sweet.”

“I’m starting to think your idea of sweet is a little bit skewed, Sweetheart.” Harley chuckles.

“What?” Marinette looks up at the woman with confusion. “Why?”

“Well you said Damian here was sweet but he more sour than expired milk.”

The bluenette gasped. “Harley! No he’s not.”

Damian only scowled at the woman.

“Damian is super sweet.” Marinette said before walking up to him and playfully wrapping her arm around his waist. “Isn’t that right?” She smiled up at him.

Damian looked down at her in shock before seeing her bright smile and ended up smiling back in awe. He couldn’t help but to gently wrap his arm around her shoulders in return. “Maybe sometimes, Angel.” He whispered honestly.

Marinette blushed up at him before smiling back to her aunts. “See? Wasn’t that sweet?”

Damian had almost forgotten they were still there. He had to school is features before also looking back to the women. His heart was still racing at her closeness. She hadn’t stepped away yet.

“Ya know, I think I see it now.” Harley grinned before looking back to Ivy. “I think our problem is that we aren’t Marinette. I think he’s got the sweets for her.”

“I think you may just be right, Harls.” Ivy grinned back at the teens when seeing them blush at their commentary. “You better keep it that way…” Her face went serious very quickly as she stared at the boy. “Or you will regret they day you ever met her.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that.” Damian said honestly.

“Oh, I can see he means it.” Harley grins as she takes Ivy’s hand. “You cutie pies have fun. We’ll let you two go.”

Marinette finally steps away from Damian and he immediately frowns as he watches her run up to hug the two women.

“Bye, Aunt Harley. Bye Aunt Ivy. I’ll see you in a little bit.” She waves before turning back to the billionaire. “Okay. Let’s go.”

“Okay.” Damian smiles as he walks her to his car and opens the passenger door for her.

As soon as Damian is driving off, Marinette speaks up again. “Sorry about my Aunts. They just don’t want me to get hurt again, you know?”

“I’m glad they feel so strongly about you.” The young billionaire smiles over at her.

“Yeah.” The bluenette grins down at her lap.

“That’s a lovely dress, by the way.” Damian stared forward as he said this. “Red is a beautiful color on you.”

“Thanks. I made it myself.” She continues to smile down at her lap. “I’ve been waiting for any opportunity to wear it and I figured that this is as good one.”

“I think I understand your struggle with the school uniforms now.” Damian finally looked over at her. “I much more prefer this look.”

“I could say the same about you.” Marinette smirked at him. “The school uniforms do you no justice. It’s practically a crime.”

“What?” Damian chuckled, a bit confused.

“I mean, look at your arms. Your shoulders.” She points. “The school blazer does a good job at hiding your true physique.”

“Oh.” Damian went red at the complement.

He had to admit that he understood. The blazer she wore did a good job of hiding her form as well. He hadn’t realized the kind of curves she had. It was a struggle to keep his eyes on the road and not stare over at her. But he found himself thankful nonetheless. What would that despicable Chad do if he knew? He already had an aggressive flirtatious attitude towards her.

“Titus really likes going on drives, huh?” Marinette spoke up.

“Yes.” Damian looked into the rear-view mirror at the dog happily looking around with his tongue flopped out.

“I’m glad I get to spend my day with you two. I feel like I didn’t get enough time with just the two of you yesterday.”

“Next time, just tell my family to go away.”

Marinette giggled. “No. There are better ways to spend time with just you and Titus without outright telling your family to go away. Besides, I like the company of your family.”

“That reminds me. They told me to tell you hello. They were quite annoying this morning.”

“Did they bother you when you got home last night?”

Damian began to frown at the thought. “Yes.”

“It was because of what Jason saw, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.” He sighed.

“I’m sorry.”

“What?” Damian looked at her in surprise. “No. Please don’t be. There is absolutely no reason to be sorry.”

“Really?”

“Yes, Angel. You don’t ever have to apologize for hugging me.”

“I’m glad.” She grinned brightly at him.

“We’re here.” Damian said with a smile as he pulled over and put his car in park.

“Oh.” Marinette looks over at the park’s entrance. “Time seems to fly with you.”

“So I’m not they only one who thinks that way.” Damian chuckles as he steps out of the car and grabs the leash for the dog.

Marinette gets out too and waits for Damian to bring the dog around the car to her.

“Are you ready to go to the park, Titus?” She cheerfully asks the dog.

He barks once in answer and begins to wag his tail in excitement.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” The bluenette grins before looking up at the billionaire. “Let’s go.”


	10. Chapter 10

The two teens had been walking through the park for over half an hour now. Damian watched as the girl stared in wonder at the beauty of the park. It almost made him want to follow her line of sight to see what she saw but then he would miss the look on her face. Besides, he had already seen the park before.

She would go around pointing out all the things she thought was beautiful with genuine excitement and Damian found her elation to be charming. He could walk with her like this all day.

“I can’t believe there aren’t more people here.” Marinette finally looked over at him. “This place is gorgeous.”

“Would you rather this place be crowded?” Damian smiled softly at her.

“No.” The bluenette looked back around at the place. “But I swear I’ve only seen like three people since we’ve been here. It’s a shame more people aren’t here to see all of this.”

“I like the privacy. It makes being in your company that much sweeter.” He said honestly.

Marinette blushed at the comment before speaking. “You’re right. I’m glad I’m here with you. And Titus.” She grins down at the dog and then suddenly looked up at the billionaire with excitement. “I’ve got an idea.” She grabbed Damian’s free hand. “Come on.”

Damian was confused but easily kept pace with her as she ran off the trail and through the trees with Titus happily following along. As they were running, Damian couldn’t help but to stare at their joined hands. Every single touch from her excited him.

And then she suddenly stopped.

“Ivy was right. There is a grassy clearing in the middle of the park.” She dragged Damian into the middle of a small grassy area and sat down, still holding onto his hand.

Damian tentatively sat down next to her and Titus went ahead and lied directly behind the two, gently leaning into them. All Damian could do was stare between their joined hands and up at her wondrous face.

“Ivy said that she uses this place to meditate. I can see why. It’s so serene here.” Marinette looked back at him with a smile. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Damian whispered, never taking his eyes off the bluenette.

“Ivy also said that not many people know about this place since its off of the trail.” She looked up at the sky. “I wonder if the light pollution isn’t as bad here. I bet the stars would be beautiful at night.”

“Maybe we can find out sometime.” Damian still kept a whispering tone.

“I’d like that.” Marinette looked back down at him and finally she caught the look in his eye. Her bright smile turned to a look of awe. “What?” She whispered.

“I uh…” Damian looked away from her eyes and down at their joined hands again. 

He began to wonder if his family was right about everything. Did she truly already know how he felt about her? He remembered back to her second day of school when she joked about being the exception for not dealing with the Ice Prince. She had asked him if he had figured out why yet and he admitted to having some theories. She had said she had some too. He was curious to know what they were.

“I wanted to exchange notes.”

“What?” This time she looked thoroughly confused.

“I told you I had some theories about why you never dealt with the ‘Ice Prince’ and you said you had some as well. You said we could ‘exchange notes later’. I figured that now was later.”

“Oh.” She slowly nodded. “Sure. Do you want me to go first?”

“If you’d like.” Damian looked back up at her with genuine interest.

“Well I’ve noticed something about you.” She started with a smile. “You’re not very good at understanding emotions, especially not new ones. And when those new ones are within yourself, you seem to feel confused or frustrated. That’s okay though. If I didn’t understand them and I began to feel them for the first time, I would be confused as well.” Marinette gently squeezed his hand. “But my theory is that you have found someone that you genuinely like and maybe not in a way that you like your friend Jon, or even your family. This is a very different way of liking someone and so you wouldn’t want to be the ‘Ice Prince’ around them. You don’t want to scare them off like you do with others. You want to keep them around. You want to be your most genuine and honest self with them.” The bluenette went quiet for a moment. “That’s my theory.”

“I see.” Damian smiled down at her. 

He was pleasantly surprised that she knew him so well. She almost seemed to know him better than he knew himself. She saw a lot. A whole lot more than Damian had originally thought and he was okay with this. If he was being honest with himself, he would share everything with her. He knew he couldn’t though. Damian could only hope that with time, everything would be out in the open.

“Well what’s your theory?” She asked, cutting off his train of thought.

Damian stared at her for a few moments before turning his whole body towards her to look her in the eyes. “I think that in the words of my brothers, I LIKE like you. When I went home that day, that’s what they had asked me and I hadn’t known what it meant. They asked if I thought you were pretty and if you made my heart race and if I found myself wanting to know more about you. I answered yes to every one of these questions without hesitation. And then I began to understand. My family already knew this, of course. I was late to the party. I think even you knew before I did. So I think that is why you didn’t deal with the ‘Ice Prince’. Though I didn’t know it at the time, I LIKE like you and therefore I could never allow myself to be icy or cold to you. It’s always been an impossibility, even if I hadn’t realized it.”

“So we’re not too far off then.” Marinette smiled warmly. “It’s good to know that we are on the same page.”

“Except that we aren’t.” Damian said honestly. “We both know how I feel but I don’t know how you feel. You said yourself that I’m not good with emotions. If you don’t feel the same, that’s fine. I will still always be your friend. I want you to be happy, but… I have to know.”

“Damian.” Marinette giggled. “Of course I feel the same. How could I not? You’re so sweet and kind to me and always try to comfort me when I’m upset. You listen to what I say and you clearly try your hardest to make me happy. You’re considerate of how I feel. Plus,” She looked down at their joined hands and blushed. “You’re so handsome. That’s all I could think about when our eyes first met. I couldn’t understand how someone so beautiful could be real. And then when you first spoke to me, you showed me kindness and honesty.” Marinette looked back up at him. “You understand how much that means to me, don’t you?”

“I do.” Damian gave her a warm smile. He would always be kind to her and as honest as he was allowed.

And then he did something even he wasn’t expecting. He sat up on his knees and suddenly scooped her up into a large hug, burying his face into her neck with the brightest smile he has ever had. He felt her return the hug instantaneously and heard her sigh in contentment. Damian wanted to shout with joy and sing with happiness. This was by far the best day of his life so far.

“I’m so happy.” He finally voiced his thoughts as he let her go.

“Me too, Damian.” She looked up at him with happy tears in her eyes. “Thank you.”

“Thank me?” He chuckled. “No. Thank you.” He sat back down and leaned back on his hands as he smirked over at her. “I think I now know what it feels like to win the lottery.”

“The lottery?” Marinette laughed. “But you’re the son of a billionaire.”

“Exactly.” Damian nodded. “That means I’ve found something better than money. Winning the actual lottery would be useless to me.”

“Wow.” Marinette blushed. “You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?”

“What?” Damian suddenly panicked and looked over at her with worry. “No.”

“Then why are you trying to give me a heart attack with all of your complements?”

“Oh.” Damian relaxed again. “Do you want me to stop, Angel?”

“No, silly.” She giggled as she began to pet Titus. “I’m only kidding.”

“Oh, I see.” Damian smiled. “It’s getting close to lunch time.” He began to pet Titus too. “There is this café within walking distance of the park I was thinking about taking you to whenever you’re ready.”

“Maybe another half an hour here?” She asked with a smile.

“Whatever makes you happy.” Damian grins.

“Thank you.” She whispers before suddenly resting her head on Damian’s shoulder. “I want to relax a bit more. Savor the moment, you know?”

“I do know.” He whispers back as he gently rests his head on top of hers.  
\---------  
“This place is so nice.” Marinette smiled as she looked around at the quaint outdoor seating area where they sat with Titus. “I didn’t know Gotham had places like this.”

“The owners of this café have been living in Gotham for a very long time. Their great grandparents bought this place when the building was first constructed. The other buildings around it grew with the times but this place has stayed the same.”

“That’s so cool.” Marinette said before looking down at the menu. “I bet people would pay a lot of money to get this property.”

“The owners shoot down offers all of the time but they like their business. They refuse to sell this place.”

Marinette looked up to respond but another person suddenly walked up to their table.

“I thought that was you, Mr. Wayne.” An older gentleman said. “Would you like me to bring out a water for your dog before you order, like always?” As the man spoke, he kept looking back at Marinette with interest.

“Yes, please.” Damian nodded. “And I’ll have a water as well. What about you, Angel?”

“I’ll try the strawberry lemonade.” She grinned up at the man.

“I’ll bring that right out for you.” He said quickly before walking away.

“Who’s that? He seems to know you.” Marinette asked.

“He’s the owner.”

“The owner of this place is serving us?” The bluenette questioned. “What about a waiter?”

“He wants to keep in good standings with my family so he doesn’t want the opportunity for anyone to accidentally mess up my order. Wayne Enterprise’s small business initiative keeps this place running from what I understand.”

“Would you really refuse to help his business if he accidentally messed up an order?”

“No.” Damian shrugs. “But would you take that chance if you were him?”

“I guess not.” Marinette says as she spots the man coming back their way with the drinks.

The older man sets each of their drinks in front of them and then sets a bowl of water on the ground for the dog, which he happily drinks up.

“Are you ready to order your food?”

Damian looks over at the bluenette and gestures for her to order first.

“Oh, I’ll have the um…” She looks at the menu for a second. “Fettuccine Alfredo please.”

“And for you, Mr. Wayne?” As he asks this, he never takes his eyes off of the girl.

“House salad is fine.”

“I’ll put that order in right away.”

“Why does he keep staring at me?” The bluenette asks as soon as the man is out of sight.

“Maybe it’s because I usually come here with only Titus.”

“What, are you saying you don’t bring other girls here?” Marinette smirks.

“No, I do not, Angel.” Damian grins back. “You are the first.”

“Lucky me then.” She smiles before suddenly looking behind Damian. “Hey, look! Isn’t that some of Gotham’s vigilantes?

Damian immediately frowned and looked behind him. He scowled when he caught sight of Batgirl, Black Bat, Nightwing, Red Hood and Red Robin high up on a rooftop down the street. “Yes.” He said between clenched teeth. “It is.”

“I wonder what they are doing out so early. Could there be trouble?”

Damian put on a neutral face as he looked back at her. “I doubt it.”

“Hmm… I think they are looking at us.” She waves slightly at them. “You know I met Nightwing and Robin once. Maybe Nightwing remembers me… Although I don’t see Robin with them.”

“Maybe he’s got better things to do.” Damian looks back to see Nightwing wave back at the bluenette.

“Do you not like them?” Marinette asks curiously.

“No.” Damian says honestly. “They’re fine.”

“Oh! I think Nightwing is coming our way!” She smiles brightly.

“Of course he is.” The young billionaire says under his breath.

“Hi, Nightwing!” She says as the man lands gracefully next to them after jumping off of the roof.

“Hey there, Marinette.” He sneaks a wink at his brother. “What a coincidence I would see you so soon.”

“I know. What are you guys doing by the way? Is there trouble nearby?”

“No, we just felt like patrolling a little early. We were just taking a break on that rooftop over there.”

“That’s awesome.” She beamed. “I’m guessing you know who this is?” The bluenette pointed to the boy sitting across from her.

“We know Damian. His family has been in the eyes of some of this city’s villains before and so we have had to make sure he and his family were safe a few times.”

“I see.” Marinette nods.

“I’m not interrupting anything, am I? I saw you wave and I thought I would come over to say ‘Hi’ but if you’re on a date then I’ll leave you to it.”

“Oh, uh…” The bluenette looked over at Damian with an awkward smile. “I don’t think this is a date… officially.”

“Not officially?” Nightwing smirked. “Well I’ll leave you to your non official date then. Good luck on whenever the real first date comes around. You two are cute together.” He waves before grappling up to the roof.

Both teens are blushing heavily as he leaves.

And then the owner comes by with their food. “Was that Nightwing?” He looks up at the roof in awe.

“Yep.” Marinette nods.

“Is everything okay with your family?” He asks the boy.

“Yes.” Damian frowns down at his food. “He only came by to say hello.”

“Oh… Okay.” The man nods. “Enjoy your food.”  
\---------  
“Thank you for today.” Marinette smiled over at Damian as they came to a stop in front of her apartment. “I had a wonderful time.”

“Likewise, Angel.”

“I’ll text you later.” She grinned. “And I’ll see you in school on Monday.”

“Can’t wait.” He whispered.

Marinette took off her seat belt and this time Damian was prepared for her hug. It was a bittersweet moment, hugging her but knowing he wouldn’t be able to see her the next day.

What Damian didn’t expect was her soft lips on his cheek. The small touch made his skin feel like it was set ablaze, but in the best possible way. She backed away a bit and giggled at the look on his face.

“Goodbye, Damian.” She beamed before exiting the vehicle.

Damian’s goodbye came as a whisper moments after she was already inside the building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very unsure of when the text time I will update is. I have family in town and so I'll be a bit busy for a while. Shouldn't be too long though. I like writing too much to stay away.


	11. Chapter 11

“Welcome back, Master Damian.” Alfred greeted the young billionaire when he got home.

“Where are they?” Damian’s tone held true anger.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to be more specific, Master Damian.”

“Grayson, Todd, Drake, Stephanie and Cassandra? Where are they?”

“Ah.” The butler nods. “They just arrived home shortly before you did. They are still down in the cave, I believe.”

“Thank you, Alfred.” He says sharply as he walks off.

Damian was seething by the time he made it down to the cave. He locked eyes with Dick and angrily marched up to him.

“What the hell do you think you were doing?!”

“See?” Tim spoke up. “I told you this would happen.”

“Relax, Little D.” Dick put his hands up in surrender. “We just wanted to make sure things were going smoothly. Plus, Marinette looked happy to see me.” He shrugged with a lopsided grin. “And without me, would you have ever known that that was an unofficial date?”

Damian chose to ignore his last statement. “You were trying to embarrass me.”

“It’s not like that.” Dick shook his head. “If I wanted to embarrass you, I would have done a much better job, trust me. I just wanted to see how my little brother was doing.”

“We all did.” Stephanie spoke up. “And we want to hear about how your day went before the café. If it makes you feel any better, we didn’t track you down while you were in the park. We didn’t even snoop on your conversations. We gave you privacy.”

Damian only scoffed in answer.

“Does someone want to fill me in on what happened?” Barbara asked from behind everyone. She was just now rolling into the cave.

“Babs!” Dick grinned at the red head before walking up to her with a loving smile. “Sure. We saw Damian and Marinette while they were having lunch today. She caught sight of us and waved so I went down to say ‘Hi’. I skillfully asked if I was interrupting their date and she said it wasn’t a date… officially.” He smirked.

“Oh?” Barbara raised her eyebrows in surprise. “That sounds promising.” She turned her attention to the teen in question. “Did something happen today?”

“Oh, something definitely happened.” Jason spoke up with a grin. “If I know one thing about Demon Spawn, it would be that when he puts his mind to something, he does it. I would be more surprised if he didn’t ask her how she felt.”

Damian was yet again surprised by Jason’s honesty. This made his brooding exterior crack.

“I think Jay is right.” Tim nodded.

“Tell us what happened.” Stephanie said.

“Why do you keep doing this to me?” Damian sighed in annoyance.

“Aw, come on, Baby Bird.” Dick lightly put a hand on his shoulder. “You’re changing and we all see it. We are happy for you and we want to hear all about what’s happening. No offence, but we know you are new at this and you aren’t the best at expressing yourself. We want to be here for you and help in whatever way we can. We want what’s best for you.”

Damian looked around at everyone’s faces and though he was still a little annoyed, he found comfort in each and every one of them. He knew Dick was telling the truth and he was grateful for the help they have given him. He honestly didn’t know where his head space would be without them. Whether he liked it or not, they all helped guide him to the right path and not just the one with Marinette.

“Okay.” Damian tried to keep the smile off of his face. He wasn’t sure if he succeeded or not. “I did ask her how she felt.”

“And?” Stephanie grinned.

“She confirmed she felt the same.”

And then his whole family irrupted in cheers. Even Cassandra began to clap.

After the cheering died down, Stephanie spoke up again. “So when is the first official date?”

“Oh, uh. I don’t know. I didn’t ask.”

“That’s okay.” Barbara grinned. “Take things at your own pace and do what feels natural.”

“But when you do ask,” Tim said. “Have you decided where to take her?”

“Uhh…”

“Don’t overwhelm him.” Stephanie scolded.

“Yeah. Let Demon Spawn think it through.” Jason shrugged.

“Just know that we are all here if you have any questions.” Dick patted him on the back. “Don’t be afraid to ask us anything.”

“Right.” Damian finally lets a ghost of a smile on his lips. “But quit keeping an eye on us. It’s highly unnecessary.” He glared at all of them.

“You’re no fun sometimes, Damian.” Stephanie chuckles. “But fine.”  
\---------  
Damian was always the kind of person who had a plan for almost every occasion. Someone was trying to have him killed? He had a plan for that. His father had caught him doing something he wasn’t supposed to? He had a plan for that.

But a date? He had no plan for that. He had never thought of the possibility, so why would he have planned for something so trivial? It made Damian rethink everything because what else had he not thought of when it comes to liking someone? A lot, apparently. He was out of his element.

This is what he spent the majority of Sunday doing—thinking about new possibilities. It thrilled him but also terrified him. 

Damian could tell that Titus saw his stress. That was something dogs were good at spotting—the subtle changes in a person. Titus would make a wonderful emotional support dog.

Damian was out in the garden with Titus shortly after dinner. He was sitting in the grass with his back resting against an old oak tree while Titus rested his head in Damian’s lap. It was a cool evening and Damian found that he could think better when he was outside in the fresh air. He didn’t like the odd looks his family was giving him when he was inside anyways.

He found himself staring up at the branches of the tree he was under while he thought. The trees seem to remind him of her and it took him awhile to figure out why this was. It was that first day he had seen her. His distraction from her was a tree. He had stared at a single leaf of a tree to occupy his mind back then and now, somehow trees brought him comfort because of the reminder. Damian was thankful for this. He missed her.

“What are you doing out here?”

Damian snapped his head forward to see that it was Jason who had spoken to him. This was honestly the last person he was expecting.

“Thinking.” He finally replied. “And trying to get away from the rest of you. Now, what do you want, Todd?”

“We pulled straws and I got the short one.” Jason stepped closer to him. “I was told to come get you. Bruce wants to start patrol early. Something about new information with illegal gun trading down at the docks?” He shrugged. “He wants us to be out of here in 30 so we have time to intercept them.”

“Alright.” Damian sighed.

Jason stared down at him for a moment before taking another step closer to him. “You look like there is a lot on your mind, Demon Spawn. Did you finally find something the ‘great’ Ice Prince can’t do?”

Damian scowled up at him. “If you’ve come here to make fun of me, save your breath for someone who cares to listen.”

“Oh, struck a nerve, did I?” Jason chuckled as he took a seat across from him.

The young billionaire’s brows knit together when seeing him take a seat and he became extremely cautious. “I thought we had to be leaving for patrol soon.”

“We do.” Jason shrugged. “But we don’t have to leave for another 30 minutes. Why, are you afraid you won’t get ready in time? I thought you could be faster than that?”

“I’m faster than the rest of you.” Damian scoffed.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Jason grinned. “So what’s the hurry? I’d like to get away from Stephanie too and they just gave me a reason to step away.”

“You’re plotting something.” He still looked skeptical.

“You said you were thinking, right?” Jason ignored his comment. “Is this about Marinette?”

“Did Grayson put you up to this? Or was it Stephanie?”

“Nobody put me up to anything, although you are all they are talking about. It’s getting pretty annoying, I’ll be honest.”

“So instead of talking about me, you’re choosing to talk to me?” Damian narrowed his eyes at him. “That doesn’t sound like you.”

“You’re right, Demon Spawn. That must mean they are being more annoying than you are. It would be impressive if, you know, it wasn’t so annoying.” He rolled his eyes.

“I’m… confused.”

“Clearly.” Jason chuckled. “So what were you thinking before I crashed your little party. Was it about Marinette or not?”

“You’re acting strange, Todd.”

“Yeah, well, so are you.” He shrugged. “But I figured that this was the one opportunity where messing with you would be counterproductive in the most catastrophic way. I’m not going to do that to you, Damian. I’m not evil.”

Damian was shocked. Jason never said his actual name unless they were in some formal setting where it would be inappropriate to call him by the usual nickname he chose. Damian finally realized that Jason was being serious and he didn’t know how to take it.

“I… Okay?”

“So, is this about Marinette?”

“Yes.” He nodded slowly.

“I know you know that the others are trying to be helpful, but you and I both know that they can be overbearing most of the time. They want to show a united front, which is nice and all, but training one on one was always what worked best with you. You’re great with handling an onslaught of information but telling it to you straight is better. So, tell me what’s on your mind and I’ll give you a straight answer.”

“Oh.” Damian hadn’t realized how much Jason actually paid attention. He always saw Jason as the rebellious type who joked around too much and did what he wanted. “I was… thinking about when and how to ask Marinette on a date and what that date would be.”

“Okay, so ask yourself a simple question. What would she like as a date?”

“Well,” Damian thought about that for a moment. “She’s got an eye for beauty. Her face lights up anytime she sees something she thinks is pretty—like with the manor or the park. She loved those things. I think she likes places that give her inspiration.”

“Well there you go.” Jason smirked. “Take her somewhere with a view. Somewhere inspirational.”

Damian suddenly looked up like an idea just hit him. “I know. What if I took her out on the boat at night? So she could see the city’s lights at a distance. Do you think father would lend me the boat? Do you think he would give me a night off?”

“If you asked nicely, I don’t see why not.” He shrugged.

“But… when should I ask her? How should I ask her?”

“Well, when do you want the date?”

“We have school during the weekdays so it wouldn’t be a good time then. She said that she saved Sundays for her Aunt’s so a Saturday would be best. Maybe this coming up Saturday?”

“Well then you have all week to find a good time to ask her. You’ll know when the moment is right. And as for how you should ask her… well just ask her outright. Be straight forward. I know you know how to do that.” Jason laughed. “Ask her if she has any plans on Saturday night and if she says no, then your golden. She already said she liked you so it’s unlikely she would say no to your date.”

“I guess… you’re right.” Damian nodded slowly. “Thank you, Todd.” He looked up at him with a small, but genuine smile.

“Any time, Demon Spawn.” He suddenly stood up. “Now we should really get going. Bruce will kill us both if we’re late.”

“That’s highly unlikely.” Damian scoffed as he too, stood up. Titus stood up with him.

“It’s a figure of speech, you idiot.” Jason punched him in the arm. “You can’t really be that dense, can you?”

Damian resisted the urge to rub his arm as he walked towards the manor with Jason and the dog. “I know it was. Could you not read my sarcasm, Todd?”

“Sarcasm?” Jason laughed. “I didn’t know you knew what that was.”

“And I didn’t know you knew anything but sarcasm.” Damian rolled his eyes.

“It’s a weird day then, huh?” Jason grinned down at him.

“Yes.” He nodded as he looked straight forward. “But not a bad day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Best big bro Jay is here to silently save the day. It's nice to see our bat boys caring for one another. Usually it's Dick and Tim who are the more caring ones but I thought it was bout time we gave the other two their time in the spotlight. Its a welcoming change, if you will.


	12. Chapter 12

The whole drive to school on Monday made Damian a bit nervous. He had no idea of knowing whether or not today would be a good day to ask Marinette out on a date. His head was flooded with the numerous possibilities on how the subject would be brought up.

All of these ideas quickly left his head when he caught sight of her entering the school though. When they locked eyes with each other, Damian was taken aback at how utterly happy she seemed to see him. No one had ever looked at him like that before.

And then they easily fell into normal conversation as he walked her to class in the morning. He had a feeling that this was going to be the new routine from here on out. The other students all around him though seemed very surprised. He wondered what changes they saw in his face. His mood has completely shifted from what it was only a week ago. How was it that one girl could change his whole perspective on life?

School was yet again slow as he waited to see her again. It frustrated him knowing that she was not too far away. It made him feel like he was trapped in a prison and being trapped in this so called prison, his mind wondered with the possibilities all over again.

Then lunch came along and today she decided to sit next to him instead of across from him. She was less than a foot away from him and this fact filled him with excitement. One simple gesture and he could reach out and touch her. It all almost seemed unreal to him.

“So, did you do anything exciting on Sunday?” She had asked.

He quickly thought back to his bizarre conversation with Jason and couldn’t help but to smile at himself.

“I wouldn’t say I did anything exciting.” He skipped out on telling her about his Robin adventures. “I mainly just hung out with my family. What about you? You said you saved Sundays for your Aunts. Was that at all exciting?”

“It was pretty fun. We went to this beautiful garden and Ivy quizzed me on all these different flower types. And then we went to the zoo and me and Harley fed the giraffes. I wish you could have been there to see it. The giraffe literally licked Harley. Her face was priceless.” She began to giggle.

“I’m glad you had a good time.” He loved hearing the sound of her laugh.

And the conversations during lunch continued. Damian kept the idea of asking her out on a date in the back of his mind but a good opportunity never presented its self. He was too busy talking to her. The idea of hearing about her day and learning all he could about her seemed more important at the moment. Besides, he had the whole school week ahead of him to ask.

Damian found that Gym was quite disappointing. They had went outside to play baseball and though they found themselves on the same team, Damian was stuck being pitcher. He was good at it, of course, but he couldn’t talk to her because she was out on second base.

And then when it was their turn to bat, they found themselves batting in alphabetical order. She was six people ahead of him. At least he had hit a home run, which meant that Marinette, who was on third base, could easily walk to home. The other team never stood a chance with the two of them on the same team.

Saying goodbye at the end of the school day was bitter sweet. He spotted the red convertible before she did and couldn’t help but to frown at the sight.

“There’s your ride.” He nodded in the direction of the vehicle.

“You look upset about that.” Marinette giggled at his pouting face.

“I feel like I didn’t get enough time with you today.”

“I understand how you feel.” She said softly. “I enjoy my time with you.”

“You don’t understand how immensely happy it makes me to hear that.”

Marinette blushes at his comment. “There you go again, trying to kill me.”

“I swear it’s not my intention.” Damian gives her a lopsided smile.

“I know.” She sighs. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then?” She looked up at him with a smile.

“Of course, Angel.” He spoke in a soft tone.

When she decides to give him a goodbye hug, Damian is more than happy to receive it. It’s quicker than he would like it to be but he’s glad to have the feeling of home it gives no matter how brief it may be. He’ll take what he can get.

“Bye, Damian.”

“Goodbye, Angel.” He waves as she walks off towards the red convertible.

As she’s driving off, Damian finally catches sight of the people around him. Both students and teachers alike are looking at him in disbelief. Well, all except for one. He locks eyes with Chad, who was looking at him with jealousy in his eyes. He almost looked… Angry?

Damian quickly ignored him and instead made his way to his car. Chad wasn’t worth his time. He already knew how Marinette felt about him.  
\---------  
Damian was surprised that Jason hadn’t talked about their little chat to the rest of his family but he didn’t know this fact until dinner that night. He thought for sure they were going to ask about if he had asked her on that date yet (which he hadn’t) but that wasn’t their question.

“So,” Stephanie smiled at him from across the dining room table. “Have you figured anything out about where you will take Marinette on your first date? Or when you are going to ask her?”

Damian looked over to Jason but he was only paying attention to his food. Everyone else then looked over at him too, confused as to why Damian looked over at him in the first place.

“Did Jay yell at you or something?” Barbara asked as she looked between Jason and Damian. “What did he do this time?”

Jason finally had to look up. “Hey, I didn’t yell at anyone. And why would that be your first thought?”

“Okay, but then why was Baby Bird’s first reaction to look over at you?” Dick asked. “You had to do something.”

Jason looked over at Damian and only shrugged.

Damian was confused. Was he just going to act like nothing had happened? “You didn’t tell them?” He finally asked.

“No.” Jason looked over at him and chuckled. “Did you?”

“Obviously not.”

“Okay then.” He went back to his food.

Even Bruce looked confused at the interaction. The whole thing made no sense to anyone else.

“Care to fill us in?” Tim asked.

“I thought that Todd would have filled you in by now. I have a date planned but I haven’t asked her yet.” Damian looked over at his father. “And I haven’t asked you yet either.”

“Ask me what?” Bruce sill had a look of confusion.

“If I could have Saturday night off and if I could borrow the boat.”

“Oh.” The billionaire raised his eyebrows. “You want to take her for a boat ride at night?”

“Yes.”

“And you came up with this plan yourself?” Bruce asked.

“Well…” Damian looked over at Jason who was still eating his food and then back to his father. “Yes.”

“I suppose that’s alright.” The man looked between Jason and Damian skeptically.

“Thank you, Father.”

“Wait.” Stephanie spoke up. “YOU came up with that idea?” She then looked over at Jason. “And you knew about this and didn’t tell us? What the hell is wrong with you?”

“You think I couldn’t come up with this idea?” Damian barked.

“Well…” Stephanie shrugged. “I’m skeptical.”

“Demon Spawn came up with the idea. I was there when he came to that conclusion.” Jason defended.

“Which brings me back to my second point.” Stephanie looks angrily at him. “Why didn’t you tell us? This is big news.”

“It’s not my job to share what he’s decided.” Jason shrugged. “I’m not his keeper and I certainly don’t have to tell you everything he does. That would be a nightmare.”

Damian couldn’t help but to grin at that as he quickly went back to eating his food. He was thankful that Jason decided to keep it between just the two of them. It felt more personal that way and he felt like he could trust him a little bit more. If he would have had that conversation with anyone else, they would have told the whole house by now and it would have made it that much more annoying. Maybe Jason wasn’t as bad as he originally thought.

“Well I’m happy that you have decided either way.” Dick spoke up. “And it sounds very romantic. I’m proud of you, Little D.”

“If you would like,” Alfred spoke. “I could make you a few snacks for you date.”

“Thank you, Alfred. That would be much appreciated.” Damian nodded once to the butler.

“You’ll tell us when you ask her, won’t you?” Stephanie asked.

“Fine.” Damian sighed. “But no promises that it will happen tomorrow or even the next day. I’m waiting for the right moment, so don’t ask me every day about it.”

“Waiting for the right moment?” Tim raised an eyebrow at him. “Wow. You’ve grown, Damian.”


	13. Chapter 13

Tuesday went about the same as Monday and honestly, Damian was okay with this. Well except for the fact that they had to play baseball again. It wasn’t a sport where he could easily talk with Marinette.

Wednesday was when things started to change, though.

That morning was as normal as the rest. Damian had walked her to her first class like always as they both chatted about everything and nothing. School went by slowly as he counted down the time until he would see her again. He wondered if this habit was an unhealthy one. Did other people act this way with people they liked as well? He didn’t know.

And then lunch came around. Like always, he was the first to arrive and he waited in silent elation for her to finally make her appearance.

She was as joyful as always when she caught sight of him as she made her way to the table. Her smile was something that he hoped he would never get used to. It was dazzling.

“Hello, Angel.” He greeted as she approached.

“Hi, Damian.” She plopped down on the seat next to him. “You know, I feel like I need to give you a nickname sometime. It would only be fair.”

“Do you have anything that comes to mind?”

“Well in my head I always call you handsome but I don’t know if that’s on par with ‘Angel’.” She smiled down at her lap. “And Dick has already given you 2 cute nicknames.”

“You can call me whatever makes you happy.” He speaks softly. “Besides, it can’t be worse than ‘Ice Prince’ or ‘Demon Spawn’, now can it?”

“Oh, now don’t say that.” She smirked up at him. “Because then I will come up with something worse.”

“You wouldn’t do that to me.” He feigned hurt. “Would you?”

“Only one way to find out.” She chuckled.

Before he had a chance to respond, something in his peripherals caught his attention and he looked out the window to see what it was.

It was a bright green drone flying just outside the window with blood red “HA HA HA” written all over it. He only had seconds to react.

He quickly shielded Marinette with his own body as the drone launched something at the window, causing glass to shower all over them. He looked down to see that Marinette wasn’t scared, but had a look of concentration as she looked over his shoulder at the drone behind him. He wasn’t expecting this.

Not even half a second had passed and students all around the lunchroom started to scream and panic as they all ran for the exit.

“You have to get out of here.” Damian said as he grabbed her by the waist and began to help her away from the table.

“But…” Was all she had time to say when the drone suddenly shot out a net that easily encased them both.

Damian was reaching for the hidden compartment in his shoe where he kept a hidden Baterang when the net suddenly began to electrify, causing both him and Marinette to seize before they blacked out.  
\---------  
Damian awoke and found himself in a cage barely big enough for him to fit in while seated. Memories of what happened flooded his mind and for the first time he truly began to panic.

His panicking suddenly stopped when he saw Marinette in a similar cage a few feet away from him. She was still safe, only passed out. This is when he took notice of his surroundings.

His hands and feet were bound, just as hers were. Their cages weren’t on the floor but actually suspended in the air by a pulley system. The system seemed to be controlled by some levers on a platform backed up against a wall just to the left of him, with stairs leading down to the ground floor. Below him was a large tank of water and he could see the glimmering of scales in the tank. He quickly identified them as piranhas. They would easily be able to get between the bars of the cage if it were lowered into the water. He hated the Jokers’ ridiculous schemes.

He began to try and find a way to free himself but the Joker was thorough with his knot work. It wasn’t budging and because of the tight space, he had no way of reaching his Baterang. Damian looked around some more and saw that they were all alone. No one must know he’s awake yet. 

He had never wanted to kill someone as badly as he wanted to kill the Joker. He couldn’t care less about himself but how dare he lay a hand in his Angel.

Then Damian saw that Marinette was beginning to stir inside her own cage. He quickly schooled his features as she slowly began to open her eyes.

He watched as realization hit her face and she began to look all around the room. She didn’t look like she was panicking, more like she was assessing. Damian felt proud at this fact. She was brave.

Then she caught sight of him and sighed in what he assumes is relief.

“Where is everyone?” She whispered.

“I don’t know, but this was clearly the work of the Joker. He must want me for ransom and you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I’m so sorry, Angel.” He whispered back apologetically.

“No, don’t apologize.” Marinette whispered as she slowly began to turn her body towards him.

She looked behind her like she was looking at the binds on her hands and then quickly looked back at Damian in front of her.

“We are going to get out of here.” She whispered.

“I appreciate your enthusiasm, Angel, but how are we going to get untied? And did you even see what’s below us?”

“The piranhas?” She smirked. “Don’t worry about them. Look to your left at that platform.”

Damian glanced over at the platform he already knew was there and then looked back. “You want to swing over to it? That’s a great idea but we still need to be freed and somehow open these cages.”

“Leave that to me.” She suddenly pulled her hands that were tied behind her to her front, to show her success in untying them.

Damian was honestly surprised. These knots were impossible to untie yourself without either cutting them or burning them. Otherwise, you would need help from someone else. He was amazed and dumbfounded by it all.

“How did you do that?” He asked in awe.

She only smirked widely at him before they both heard the sound of a door opening below them. Marinette swiftly put her hands back behind her back to make it seem like her hands were still tied.

“Oh, look who’s awake!” Joker spoke as he walked into sight below the teens. “I hope your comfortable up there.” The man began to laugh.

“What do you want?” Damian snapped.

“You already know what I want. We’ll have your father on the phone momentarily. But before then, let me introduce you to my friends.” Joker gestured to the large tank filled with piranhas. “Aren’t they great?” He cackled.

“If all you wanted was me, then why did you take her?” Damian asked.

“The more the merrier! Plus, you two seemed to be such great friends. I would hate to split you two apart!” The Joker laughed again.

“Harley’s not going to be happy about this.” Marinette huffed.

Joker actually frowned at this. “What does my good for nothing ex have to do with this?”

“Oh, you’ll find out soon enough.” Marinette smirked. “You took the wrong two hostages.”

The Joker began to laugh. “Was that your idea of intimidation? I’ve seen puppies more scarier than you, girlie.”

“So you’re afraid of dogs? Good to know.” She said sarcastically.

“Hey, I’m the one who makes jokes around here! You better watch yourself before I just feed you to the fishies for fun!”

Marinette rolls her eyes and looks over at Damian with a smirk. “This guy.” She whispers so only he can hear.

Damian couldn’t help but to smile at the fact that she was genuinely getting on the Jokers nerves. He enjoyed her bravery and his irritation.

“Boss!” Someone else yelled through the door below them. “Bruce Wayne is on the phone.”

“I’ll be back, kiddos!” He laughs as he walks out of the room.

As soon as the door it shut, Marinette goes into action. She’s quick in untying her feet and she pulls out a bobby pin from her hair to pick the lock of her cage. Damian watched her work in wonder. You would have though she did things like this all the time.

Then her cage door swung open. She took one of the ropes she was tied up with and flung it over her shoulder before crawling her way on top of her cage.

“I’m going to swing over to your cage and get you free, okay?” She whispered.

“Wait, are you sure you can…”

But before he could get his sentence out, she rocked the cage back and forth a few times before leaping to his own.

His heart dropped as he watched her fly across the distance. It was like everything was happening in slow motion. But she was graceful—like an actual angel taking flight. And then she landed on his cage without so much as a sound.

Marinette reached over with her bobby pin in hand and fiddled with the lock of a moment before it swung free.

“Turn around.” She whispered. “Let me see your arms.”

Damian quickly complied. She tugged at the rope for a few moments before she eventually freed him.

“I can get my feet.” Damian whispered.

Marinette nodded as she looked down and around at the room as he worked. He assumed she was being lookout.

Damian easily got his feet free and climbed his way on top of the cage with her.

“Hold my hand.” Marinette whispered as she quickly took hold of his hand. “We’re going to rock this thing and jump on three, okay?”

Damian nodded as he smiled down at their joined hands. She was even more incredible than he originally thought.

They were in easy synchronization as they swung back and forth. Damian listened to her quiet counting and nimbly jumped across the distance and onto the platform with her. He was surprised at how well they worked together. In most cases, it took him quite some time to work well with others. She came so naturally though.

“He’s going to be coming back soon.” She whispered. “We need to find somewhere to hide.”

Damian nodded once again as he looked around the room one more time. He looked up and saw the steel beam rafters about five feet above their heads. They were about a foot and a half wide and could easily hold their weight and conceal them. Damian pointed up at them.

“Perfect.” She grinned. “Give me a lift and I’ll pull you up with my rope.”

Damian locked his hands together so she could easily step into them and on her mark, he effortlessly tossed her up towards the beam.

She grabbed onto the beam with grace and laid flat on her stomach before tying the rope around the beam and throwing it down. Damian had no trouble climbing up.

Marinette wasted no time and untied the rope as soon as Damian was up and coiled it up before looping it over her shoulder. Not a second later, the door below them opened up.

“Alrighty, kiddos! Mr. Wayne wants some photographic proof… Where the hell are they!?”

“I-I don’t know, Boss.”

“Well find them! Now!”

Damian made sure not to lean over the side to look down at him. It was still daytime and their blue, black and white uniforms would stand out next to the rusty metal beams they were hiding on. He instead kept his attention on Marinette.

She was amazingly calm under pressure. She didn’t even seem phased by the fact they were looking for them just below where they were. And then he realized that he had actually been taking orders from her. He did it so willingly and without question. Her authority was almost as indisputable as his fathers. It surprised him how easily he just decided to blindly trust her. She didn’t fail him though and somehow he knew that this would always be the case.

“How did they even escape!?” They heard Joker yell. “I tied them up myself. There is no way they could get free! Did one of you idiots loosen the ropes?”

“Of course not.”

And then a phone started to ring.

“It’s Mr. Wayne.” Another man spoke up.

“Put it on speaker while we look.” Joker ordered. “The little brats couldn’t have gone far.”

“Joker.” They heard the sound of Bruce’s voice through the phone.

“Hello there, Brucie.” The Joker kept his usual overly cheerful attitude as he spoke, despite his anger moment earlier. “Did you get my photos?”

“I’m afraid I haven’t.” Bruce almost sounded monotone as he spoke.

“What? Are you sure there’s nothing wrong with your phone line? I thought a billionaire would have better phone connection.”

“Put them on the phone then.”

“There a bit out of reach, you see. Because, you know, their hanging from the ceiling.” He laughed.

“They escaped, didn’t they?”

“What?” Joker laughed a bit too loud. “Why would you think that?”

Bruce only said one word in response. “Pineapple.”

And then he hung up.

Damian knew what that meant. Help was less than a minute away. Not only was his hidden Baterang in his shoe helpful for cutting things, it also was undetectable by metal detectors and fitted with a tracker. Now that his father knew that he was safe and out of sudden harm’s way, nothing would stop his family from barging into the place. Damian smirked to himself.

And then he saw that Marinette was looking at him in acute confusion. She caught his minor mood change.

“Find them!” Joker yelled at the top of his lungs. “Or I will kill each and every one of you myself!”

They heard a gunshot go off and saw the bullet hole form just a few yards away from them on the ceiling.

“On it, boss!” They all yelled in a panic.

The Joker had fired a warning shot and Marinette looked over at the bullet hole in anger. Moments later, sudden glass shattering could be heard all around them.

“It’s the bats!” Someone yelled. “They found us!”

“There you are, you son of a bitch!” They heard the clear voice of Harley Quinn from down below. “Where’s Marinette?”

Marinette quickly perked up at the sound of her voice.

“Harley! What an unwanted surprise.” Joker laughed. “I honestly don’t know. You mind helping me look? I’ll split the doe with you for trading her and the Wayne boy.”

“There you are.” Damian and Marinette looked over to see that Nightwing had somehow made his way up to the beam next to them.

“You’re going to wish you were never born, Mista J!” Harley said in pure anger. “Let’s get ‘em, Red!”

“Let’s get down from here.” Nightwing said as he eyed the fight unfolding below them.

“I better go calm my Aunts down.” Marinette sighed as she sat up and hung her legs over the edge of the beam.

“Do you need help getting down?” Nightwing asked.

Marinette shook her head as she looked down at the platform below her. She then jumped off them beam and landed with a stylish roll.

Damian smiled down at the bluenette before quickly following after her.


	14. Chapter 14

Damian followed quickly behind Marinette as she made her way to the ground floor where the fight was still unfolding. Red Hood, Black Bat and Batgirl were all dealing with Jokers men while both Harley and Ivy were fighting with the Joker himself. Damian looked behind him to see that Nightwing was flowing them down.

Nightwing had a strange look on his face as he was looking between the two teens. It was the kind of look that Damian recognized when he was scheming something. Damian glared at him to make a point of disapproving whatever he was thinking about doing.

Damian looked back towards the fight to see that his family made quick work of all of Jokers men and the man himself seemed to be down for the count, but both of the women were not letting up on him. He was honestly okay with this. The Joker was his least favorite person at the moment.

“Aunt Harley! Aunt Ivy! Please stop!” Marinette yelled as he ran up to the women.

The sound of Marinette’s voice stopped them in their tracks.

“Marinette, Sweetie!” Harley dropped her bat on the floor and ran up to the young girl for a hug. “I was so worried that that monster hurt you.”

Ivy entangled the man in vines before also running up to give the girl a hug. “You nearly gave us both a heart attack, Marigold. I’m so happy you’re alright.”

“You aren’t suffocating him, are you?” She looked over the two women’s shoulders to see the Joker tangled in vines.

“Why are you worried about that creep?” Harley asked.

“Because I don’t want you to kill him!”

Damian’s eyes went wide at that. It wasn’t that he was shocked that she would say that, because he honestly expected nothing less. It was that he was acting almost like Harley and Ivy. They were angry on her behalf, like him, but instead of him thinking about wanting to kill him, they were acting on it. She would never want something like that. She was truly good.

It wasn’t until Marinette said something that the two women looked upset at themselves. The vines finally loosened around his body.

“You’re right, Marigold.” Ivy dropped to her knees to get a better look at the girls face. “I’m sorry. We were just so angry. We shouldn’t have lost our temper.”

Harley got on her knees too. “Ivy’s right. I’m sorry. It’s just that the Joker was the last person I ever wanted you to meet. He’s vile, disgusting and manipulative. He’s the exact kind of person you aren’t.”

“I know.” Marinette smiled brightly at them before giving them both a loving hug. “I don’t really care for him very much either.” She chuckled. “Did you at least give him a concussion for me? He interrupted me and Damian’s lunch. It was very rude.” She joked.

The two women looked up at her with a laugh.

“That’s our girl!” Harley said. “He might not have a concussion but I think I broke a few ribs. Will that do?”

“Sure.” Marinette grabbed the women’s hands to help them to their feet. “How did you even find us?”

“I don’t know.” Ivy looked over at Nightwing. “How did you find them? I doubt the Joker is stupid enough to have a traceable phone.”

“That is a trade secret.” Nightwing grinned.

“You two alright?” Red Hood asked.

“Oh, yeah.” Marinette nodded. “We’re great.”

“How did you escape?” Batgirl asked but she mainly eyed Damian when she spoke.

“That is a good question.” Damian looked over to the bluenette. “How did you do that? With the rope? There was no way you could get that untied by yourself. It’s impossible.”

“Luck?” She shrugs with a smile.

“So you’re the one who got you two to safety?” Nightwing asked, a little surprised.

“Well Damian thought about hiding up on the rafters and we both jumped to the platform from the cages.” She pointed up towards them. “But I did untie myself and pick the locks.”

“Crafty, ain’t she?” Harley grinned proudly.

“Sounds very impressive.” Batgirl grins. “Maybe you should give us all a demonstration sometime.”

“Well it wasn’t that great.” Marinette shrugs nonchalantly.

“You’re too modest, Angel. You were amazing.” Damian smiles sweetly at her.

“You impressed the Ice Prince?” Red Hood spoke up. “Now I wish I would have been there to see it.”

“Oh, well…” Marinette blushes at the assessment. “Like I said. I was just lucky I guess.”

It was quiet for a moment before Nightwing finally spoke up again. “The police is a minute out. I’m going to go report back to the boss. You all covered here?”

“We got this, Nightwing.” Batgirl smiles.

Damian knew what this mean. Dick had another job to do and it didn’t involve contacting his father. Dick was a police detective for the GCPD and would no doubt need to show up to the ‘scene’ in his other uniform. Now he had a feeling what Dick’s scheme could possibly be and wasn’t looking forward to it.

Everyone watched as he walked off.

“Talking to the police won’t be fun.” Harley huffed. “They don’t seem to like us, Red.”

“I wonder why…” Ivy said sarcastically.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it.” Batgirl said. “I heard that Dick Grayson will be coming down here.”

“Oh, that’s right.” Marinette turned her attention to Damian. “Your brother is a detective at GCPD. I haven’t seen him since Friday. It’ll be nice to say hi again. I only wish the circumstances were better.”

Not a second later, flashing lights could be seen from the windows and the sounds of sirens got louder as they approached.

Damian found the whole thing ironic. She was just talking to him less than a minute ago. “Yes, you’re right, Angel.”

“Dick Grayson… That’s the oldest Wayne kid, right?” Harley asked.

“Yep.” Marinette nodded.

“Baby Bird!” Everyone turned to the entrance to see Dick come walking in, perfectly dressed, with other officers following him inside.

“Grayson.” Damian sighed at the over the top way he greeted him. He felt it was unnecessary.

“Hi, Dick.” Marinette waved excitedly at the man.

“Marinette.” He finally waked up to the two. “It’s great to see you again.” He gave her a brief hug. “I heard you had a bit of an exciting day with Damian over here. You were lucky your Aunt’s and Gotham’s heroes came to help.”

As he spoke, the rest of the officers who entered after him began to cuff all of the passed out goons that were all around them.

“I guess I was lucky.” The bluenette nods.

“Well if you wouldn’t mind, would you be okay with telling me what happened?” Dick asked as he took out a notepad.

“Sure.” Marinette looks over at Damian before starting. “We were just sitting at lunch when a drone came flying by the window. It shot something at the glass and Damian protected me from all of the shards flying toward us. We were trying to leave when the drone shot out a net. Seconds later, the net electrified and we passed out and woke up in those cages up there with our hands and feet tied. I managed to get free and I picked the lock with a bobby pin.” She pointed up at the cages as she spoke. “I jumped from my cage to his and unlocked his and then untied his arms. After he freed his feet, we swung our way over to that platform and then Damian had the idea to hide in the rafters. He boosted me up and then I used this rope to help him up after me. Then my Aunts and everyone else came and we were free to get down when Nightwing found us.”

“Wow. You really did just Houdini out of there didn’t you?” Dick laughed. “Joker knows his way around a rope. I’m very impressed.” He turned to Damian. “Would your account of the story be the same?”

“Essentially.” Damian nodded.

“Well that makes it easier for me.” He writes down something on his notepad before looking over to everyone else. “Now tell me your account of it all.”

As everyone else was talking to Dick, Damian pulled his attention towards Marinette.

“I really am sorry all of this happened to you.”

“Damian.” Marinette grinned at him before lightly shaking her head. “Please don’t apologize about this. In fact, I’m kind of glad it all turned out this way. I mean, getting kidnapped isn’t ideal but I’m glad it was with you. You were like my partner in crime… or I guess partner in anti-crime. I would have been worried sick if the Joker took you alone.”

“But I inadvertently put you in danger.”

“Hey,” She lightly punched him on the arm. “I may look small but I can take care of myself.”

“You can.” Damian grinned at her confidence. “But that doesn’t mean I want you in danger because of me.”

“Damian… I really like you and I care about you. When I care about someone, I would do anything to protect them. It’s a bit of a fault of mine, I’ll be honest.” She took one of his hands in hers. “And I know for a fact that you can also take care of yourself but it would be wrong to leave you in it alone knowing that I could be there for you. I know what it feels like to be alone and I wouldn’t wish it upon my worst enemy. Do you understand what I’m telling you?” She squeezed his hand to emphasize her point.

Damian felt like he didn’t deserve her kindness. She was wholeheartedly good and went through way more than she ever should have. She was brave and beautiful and selfless. She was everything he felt he didn’t deserve. How was it that this Angel actually liked him? He couldn’t fathom it.

“I do understand.” He whispered breathlessly as he looked down at their joined hands. “But it would be selfish of me to drag you down with me when things like this happen.”

“Maybe.” She shrugged with a grin. “But I’ll be coming with you whether you like it or not. Not everything is about you, you know.”

Damian sighed in defeat. “You’re very stubborn, aren’t you?” He looked up at her with a smile.

“Another one of my faults. Sorry.” She laughed. “Take it or leave it.”

“Well, that wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be.” Harley said as she skipped up to the teens with Ivy right behind her. “That Dick guy is actually super nice. He might be the one cop that I don’t mind.”

“Oh yeah. He’s great.” Marinette nods. “Are you two done giving your statements?”

“Yes.” Ivy says. “He said that once the criminals are taken away and the crime scene is cleared that we can leave. He wants us hanging around in case they have any more questions.”

“So.” Harley turned her attention to the young billionaire. “Are you two a couple yet?” She looks down at their joined hands with interest.

“Aunt Harley!” Marinette whined. “Quit it.”

“What?” She chuckled. “I pick you up every day at school. I see your cutsie little goodbye hugs.”

“Cutsie goodbye hugs?” Dick asks from behind them. Everyone turns to see a smile plastered on his face. “You mind taking a picture of that next time you see it and sending it over to me?”

“Sure!” Harley lights up with excitement.

“Grayson.” Damian glares at his older brother. “Why don’t you go talk to Batgirl or something.”

“I would but they are busy analyzing the piranha water.” He gestured to the heroes crowded around the large fish tank. “Did you know that it’s illegal to own piranhas without a license in Gotham? Joker’s got to add that to his criminal record.” Dick smirked. “Also, speaking of fish, Bruce wanted me to remind you that the boat has been refueled.”

“A boat?” Marinette questioned. “I didn’t know you fished.”

“I don’t.” Damian frowned.

“But then why?...”

“Oh! Harley, Ivy. There is one more thing I need you for.” Dick winked at his brother. “You mind coming with me?”

“Uh, sure.” Ivy nods before the three walk off.

“He’s getting on my nerves.” Damian said between clenched teeth.

“What do you mean?” Marinette asked innocently.

Damian took a deep breath before looking back at the bluenette. “He’s trying to be helpful but he’s really not.”

“I’m confused.”

“He’s… trying to help set up the conversation, I think.”

“Conversation. What conversation?”

Damian looked down at their still joined hands and steeled himself. He guessed that now was as good of an opportunity as any, even if it was a little bit forced by his brother. “Do you have anything planned this Saturday night?” He looked up at her with a shy smile.

“I don’t, actually.” She smiled brightly at him. “Why do you ask?”

His heart started to pound out of his chest. He didn’t think he would be so nervous. “I wanted to know if you wanted to go out on a date with me… if that’s okay with you.”

“A date?” Her smile, which was already bright from before, somehow became even more bright. He felt like his heart would actually combust. “I thought you would never ask. A date sound great, Damian.”

He let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “I’m happy to hear you say that.”

“Is that what this boat thing is about?”

“Well… yes. I wanted to take you out on the boat at night to see the city’s lights from a distance.”

She lit up at that. “Could we go a little early and watch the sunset too?”

“Absolutely, Angel. Anything to make you happy.”

“Oh, this is so exciting!” She jumped up and down for a moment before quickly embracing him. “Thank you, Damian. I can’t wait.”

Damian gladly returned the hug as he rested his cheek on top of her head. “If I would have known you would have reacted like this, I would have asked sooner.”

“Well why didn’t you?” She looked up at him from their embrace.

“Couldn’t find the right time, I guess.” He smiled softly down at her.

“Well then I guess Dick had the right idea.”

Damian sighed at that before looking over at the man in question. He found him on the far side of the room with his phone out and pointing towards him and Marinette. Both Ivy and Harley were crowded beside him looking at the phone as well and he found that Batgirl, Black Bat and Red Hood were all also watching them from the other side of the room. The rest of the officers seemed to have already left.

“I think we’ve got some unwanted paparazzi.”

Marinette was confused before stepping away from him and looking in the direction Damian gestured to.

“Oh my God.” Marinette hid her face in her hands.

“That was so adorable, Sweetheart!” Harley squealed from across the room.

“She’s so embarrassing.” Marinette mumbled so only Damian could hear her.

“I blame Grayson. This was clearly his idea.” Damian glared at his older brother.

Everyone else in the room made their way to the two teens.

“I just witnessed something very cute today.” Batgirl spoke up. “You two are just precious.”

“Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” Damian snapped.

“It’s good to see you too, Damian.” She smiled. 

“I think I’m ready to go home now.” Marinette looked up at her Aunt’s with a pleading look in her eyes.

“Okay, Marigold.” Ivy nodded as she guided both her and Harley out.

“Send that to me, would ya?” Harley asked as she was leaving.

“Sure thing.” Dick agreed.

“You all are insufferable.” Damian said as soon as they were all gone.

“I can’t wait to show everyone else this video.” Dick held up his phone. “Babs and Timmy are going to freak.”

“I’ll just walk home.” Damian scoffed as he began to walk away.

“Oh, come on!” Dick laughed. “At least let me drop you off at your car. It’s still at your school, you know.”

Damian stopped in his tracks and took a deep breath. “Fine. But you better not annoy me with this.”

“Sure thing, Little D.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably wont be updating daily anymore. Every other day is more likely. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you to everyone commenting and leaving kudos. It really motivates me to keep writing and I love hearing your thoughts and opinions.


	15. Chapter 15

Damian was forced to follow Dick as he drove home. He didn’t like it because he felt like he was no longer as free to think as he normally would when driving home at the end of the day. He could see Dick periodically looking back at him through his rear view mirror. It annoyed him to no end.

And then when he got home there was even more annoyance. He wasn’t surprised though. It was very typical for his family to practically annoy him to death and he was angry at the fact that everyone beat him and Dick home. At this point, walking home would have been better in his opinion.

“You’re going on a date, Damian!” Stephanie squealed. “We’re so proud of you!”

“Is that what all of this excitement is about?” Alfred asked. “I guess the Joker wasn’t a problem?”

“Apparently Marinette saved the day.” Dick grinned. “She left Baby Bird here with nothing to do besides, of course, asking her on a date.” He turns to the boy. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

“I didn’t need your help.” Damian said with anger in his eyes.

“You’re probably right.” Dick nods. “But then I wouldn’t have caught it on video. Do you want to see it? It’s really cute.” He began to pull out his phone.

“No.” He began to walk off. “Tell me when father comes home. I need to speak with him.”  
\---------  
Damian found himself outside with Titus again under the same tree that brought him comfort because of the reminder of Marinette. Being out here allowed him to calm down and think.

It took him a bit of time but eventually he realized that the situation wasn’t as bad as he was making it out to be. His family was obviously nosy and obnoxious but they weren’t out to get him. He only wished that they wouldn’t embarrass his Angel as well.

Then he realized that her Aunts were in on it too, so his family wasn’t the only one to blame. He wondered if this was what all families were like or if it was only a thing that their families did. The two definitely didn’t have a normal family, that’s for sure. He wasn’t exactly sure what a normal family was, although he couldn’t bring himself to care too much. His family was good enough for him. They were what he needed, whether he liked it or not.

Damian was staring up at the branches of the tree thinking about the day he just had. Today had so many twists and turns in his book and being kidnapped by a psychotic clown wasn’t fun but he found that today (despite all of the bad things that happened) was one of his favorites. Her bright smile kept coming to the forefront of his mind.

She was really happy that he had asked her out on a date. He can’t think of any other instance where he had seen her smile so brightly, and he watched out for her smile quite often. It made his heart sing knowing that he could get that reaction from her. He wanted to see it again and again, he just had no way of knowing how to bring out that expression again. Surly asking her out on dates often would lose its charm over time, wouldn’t it?

But then he started to think about what she did today and what she was able to do. He replayed it over and over in his mind but he was sure that her ropes were tied just as tightly as his were. How was she able to free herself? Would it be weird to ask her to teach him whatever she did? She said that it was all just luck but no one is truly that lucky.

And then there was her gracefulness of the situation. Ignoring the fact that she knew how to pick locks, how was it that she was so fearless but also agile? She had said that she was not on any sports teams back in Paris yet she moved with perfect form and skill. It was something that was practiced. You don’t just wake up one day and know how to do those things. Was she hiding something?

If she was, he couldn’t blame her. He was also hiding a lot from her as well, like his terrible past. Maybe one day they could truly be honest with each other—to share every detail about their lives like he knows they both want to. This secrecy didn’t bring distrust though. He knew for some reason that she was always truthful with him, just as he was. They only omit things because it is necessary. He knew she was good in every way possible. She had a strong sense of right and wrong. It made him want to know even more about her. It was alluring, he realized. The mystery was enticing. She kept on surprising him and he wondered if she thought the same. She had to have picked up on the conversations he would avoid. She seemed to know more about him than even he did.

“Jason said you would be out here.”

Damian looked over to see that it was actually his father who had approached. He looked back up at the sky and finally took notice of the time of day. He hadn’t realized it was past the time his father usually came home.

“I have to admit that I’m surprised that Jason was the one to know where you were at. Something has changed between you two.” He stepped closer to his son and knelt down next to him to pet the dog. “It’s a good change though, so I won’t complain. You wanted to speak with me?”

“Yes.” Damian looked up at his father. “I’m guessing Grayson told you about what happened today?”

“About the Joker situation or the date? Because he talked about both… enthusiastically.”

“I want to start with the Joker situation.”

“I’m listening.”

“I wish you could have been there to see it, father.” He looked into his fathers’ eyes as he spoke. “She was incredible. She’s the one who freed us and she moved without fear. She was agile and quick thinking and graceful even. I’ve never been rendered so unnecessary before.”

“Really?” Bruce raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Yes, but she was also… very kind. She worried for the Joker when Ivy and Harley had a hold of them. She didn’t want them to kill him even after what he did to us. She has… a good sense of justice. She’s extremely good.”

Bruce stared at his son for a moment before speaking. “The way you make it sound… I do wish I would have been there to see it. It takes quite a lot to impress you.” He gave him a ghost of a smile. “But what’s the point of this conversation, Damian?”

“I think… there is more about her that we don’t know about.”

“Do you not trust her?”

“No!” He shook his head. “The thing is… even though I know she’s hiding something, I completely trust her. I practically put my life in her hands today. I really don’t know how to explain it.” He sighed. “But also, I’m not telling her everything either so it’s not like I can blame her for hiding something. We’ve only known each other for a week.”

“I see.” Bruce nods. “You’re really opening up to this girl and it seems you have become very aware of her.”

“Aware of her?” Damian questioned.

“I can tell you watch her very closely. You are noticing things about her that you don’t care to notice about other people. You like this girl.”

“Well, yes. I thought this was already established.”

“Yes, but I don’t think everyone understands the extent of it. Although, you were always the kind of person to take things to the extreme. I shouldn’t be surprised. You put all you effort into everything you do so why would liking a girl be any different?” Bruce chuckled once. “I’ve got a very strong feeling that this will not be a fling.”

“A fling?” Damian looked a little offended by that. “Angel is not a fling.”

“I can see that. Why else would you be so willing to date a girl who was taken in by Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn? I know how much you distrust those women. You would never associate with them in any way before this.”

Damian would argue with that but it was true. He still didn’t trust them but because Marinette seemed to love them, he decided he would tolerate them for her sake.

“You are changing for her and now I am starting to understand why. You said so yourself. She’s good and so you are trying to be worthy of her. It was the same thing you did when you were younger with our family. Not only is she good, Damian, but she is also good for you. I don’t think you understand how grateful I am that she has come into your life. If this is what happens after one week, I can’t wait to see what will happen after one month or even a year. I hope she sticks around for a long time.”

“Yeah.” Damian smiles. “Me too.”

“And as for whatever she is hiding…” Bruce lightly pats him on the shoulder. “Spend some time with her. Get to know her and learn to trust each other even more. That girl has gone through a lot and maybe she had to learn how to adapt because of her harsh surroundings. I trust your judgment son, and if you of all people think that she is good then there is no doubt in my mind that she is.”

“You’re right. Thank you, father.”

“Is that all you wanted to talk about?”

“Well… What was your first date with Selina like?”

“Oh, uhh.” Bruce looked away from Damian’s eyes. “Probably very different than your date will be… at least I hope.” He finally looked back to his eyes. “Selina and I knew each other for a very long time before we ever dated and so we already knew a lot about each other. My guess is that your date will be a lot of just getting to know each other.”

“So it will be much the same as what we are already doing?”

“It’s hard to say. I never really get to see the way you act around her when it’s just the two of you, although Dick’s video gives me a good idea. I’ve never seen you act so soft around anyone like that.”

“Soft?” Damian looks confused.

“Did you not see the video?”

“No.”

“Maybe take a look at it. It will give you some perspective about why your brothers and sisters are acting the way they do.” Bruce stood up. “Dinner will be ready in 15 minutes.” He pulls out his phone for a moment. “Please be in the dining room by then.” He says as he’s walking off.

Seconds later, Damian receives a text from his father. It’s the video that Dick took. The young billionaire looked back up to see that his father was already gone. He sighed for a moment before looking back down at his phone and reluctantly pressing play.

The video started and the first thing you hear is Harley’s whispering voice.

“What’re ya doin’?”

“Shhh.” Dick hushes them. “Just watch.”

The camera then zooms in on both Marinette and Damian who were talking with each other with their hands joined but unfortunately Marinette’s back was turned so you couldn’t see her face. Damian’s face on the other hand, was clear as day. He looked a little annoyed at first as he spoke to the girl. As their conversations continued though, his annoyance turned to clear subdued nervousness as he stared at their joined hands. He looked up at her and spoke for a bit before waiting to hear her response. He then took a deep breath and smiles so softly at her before speaking again. There is a short interaction between the two and Damian can’t help but to think of a saying Dick had once used when describing how Tim acts sometimes around Stephanie. A lovesick puppy. He didn’t understand the expression at first but now he does.

Then Marinette began to jump around excitedly for a moment before pulling Damian into an embrace. She reached her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest. Damian never skipped a beat when returning the hug. The way he wrapped his arms around her was so gentle and sweet. Then he softly rested his cheek on her head and Damian realized what his father had been saying. Everything he did with her was… soft.

The way he spoke with her. The way he looked at her. Even the way he touched her. He didn’t even realize he looked like this around her. He had always been so intimidating and standoffish with everyone else and that’s what Damian saw when he thought of himself—not this, though he did know he was treating her differently. He wasn’t upset though. He was happy for the subconscious change. He wouldn’t want to look at her any other way.

Then Marinette looked up at him and he smiled down at her with another soft smile and spoke for a moment before suddenly looking up at the camera and frowning. The video ends there.

Damian sighed at himself and then stands up with Titus to head inside for dinner. Images of the way he looked and the bright smile she had when he asked her on a date flooded his mind again as he made his way there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't thanked you all for the over 600 kudos, so thank you for the support in this fic. I feel like we don't get enough Damian POV in the maribat fandom and its nice to know I'm not the only one who feels the same way. Thank you again.


	16. Chapter 16

School on Thursday had been more annoying than Damian had thought. Everyone, teachers and students alike, watched Marinette and him like a hawk. Because their abduction happened during school, everyone already knew what had went down. They were all that anyone was talking about.

“Don’t look so upset, Damian.” Marinette had said at lunch.

“Why can’t everyone mind their own business?” He huffed as he looked over to the boarded up window beside them.

“Wouldn’t you be a little curious too if a student was taken by a super villain?” She followed his line of sight to the window as well.

“Depends on the situation.” He answered honestly as he looked back at her. “But isn’t it considered rude to stare?”

“Yes.” Marinette looked around at all the faces staring back at her. “But don’t let them bother you, Damian.”

“Do they not bother you?” He asked earnestly.

“No, not really.” She turned back to him with a smile. “Let them stare. Let them talk. They’ll get bored eventually and move on. Besides,” She shrugged. “I would much rather deal with this than what I had to deal with back at my old school.”

Damian frowned at that. “I hate to imagine what school was like for you if this is more preferable.”

“It was a lot more mean stares than the curious ones we are getting now.” She giggled. “And at least now I’m not the only one being stared at.”

“I’m still unhappy with the fact that you were dragged into this. If you wouldn’t have been with me then you wouldn’t be stared at at all.” 

“Damian.” She smiled as she lightly shook her head at him. “I’d much rather be with you and be stared at then to be without you and not have the staring. And like I said, they will get bored and move on.”

“I think you have your priorities mixed up, Angel.” He joked. “I’m not worth all this hassle.”

“No, I don’t.” She grinned. “And this isn’t a hassle at all. I know what I want. I have my priorities straight.”

“What you want?” He raised an eyebrow in question. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’ll see.” She lightly patted him on the knee. “Slowly but surely, I am getting there.”  
\---------  
Like Marinette had said, come Friday the students had lost a bit of interest in them. The staring hadn’t completely stopped though. Damian had imagined that it was more about the fact that him and Marinette had decided to hold hands during school that day.

Right when he had gotten to school, Marinette came up from behind him and quickly grabbed his hand in surprise, which was odd to him because he was hard to surprise.

“Did I scare you?” She giggled when he snapped around at her presence very quickly.

“I wouldn’t say I was scared.” He finally smiled down at their joined hands as they walked through the schools front doors. “You surprised me. You’re very quiet.”

“I can be sneaky sometimes.” She smirked. “By the way, are you excited for tomorrow?”

“I am.” He grinned down at her. “What about you, Angel?”

“Oh, I can’t wait. I just hope that I can get some sleep tonight.”

“You would really stay up in anticipation?”

“Well I’ll try not to. I need to get my beauty sleep.”

“You get any more beautiful and I might just have a heart attack from just looking at you.” Damian said honestly, without a second thought.

Marinette blushed heavily as she stopped at the door of her first period class. “Wow. I wasn’t expecting that.” She looked up at him slowly.

“Expecting what?” Damian smiled gleefully as he looked down at her blushing face. He found that he enjoyed this look on her.

“You trying to complement me to death again so early in the morning.” She looked at him then back at her classroom door. “Sorry I have to go to class. I’ll see you at lunch?”

“Of course.” He nodded as he reluctantly let go of her hand. “See you soon.”

As he was walking away was when Damian noticed the stares thrown his way. They were different from the day before though and that’s what made him think it was about the hand holding and not the abduction from days prior. He chose to ignore the stares but only for Marinette’s sake. If they didn’t bother her than he wouldn’t let it bother him.  
\---------  
It was Gym now and Damian found himself a little excited about it. The coach had called out sick today and so they had a substitute. This meant that Gym was practically a free period. Damian sat down on the bleachers to patently wait for Marinette to arrive.

As if on cue, she came walking into the room with a smile plastered on her face as she looked over at him.

“Coach isn’t here today.” Damian said as she sat down next to him. 

“Cool. I guess that gives us more time to just talk.”

“Talking with you does always brighten my day.”

“You’re such a charmer, you know that?” She blushes as she lightly punches him on the arm.

“I’m guessing that’s a good thing?”

“Obviously.” She laughs as the bell rings.

The substitute then speaks up to tell everyone that they are free to walk around the gym and talk amongst their friends but to keep the noise to a minimum.

“So, Angel. What do you want to do?”

“Let’s just sit here and talk.” She gently takes his hand. “Since it brightens your day.”

“Well what about you? I want to brighten your day.”

“This.” She holds up their joined hands. “This brightens my day. And you brighten my day.”

“I guess you and I aren’t too different then.”

“Hey, Marinette.” Both Damian and Marinette look up to see that Chad was the one to speak.

“Hi, Chad.” She gives him a forced smile.

“Can I talk to you for a second?”

“Uh, sure.”

Chad looked down at her then over to Damian sitting beside her. “Alone, please.”

“Actually no, Chad. If you have something important to say then you can say it in front of Damian as well.”

Damian couldn’t help but to feel a little smug at that. He looked over at Marinette with pride before settling a glare on Chad.

“Well, uh…” He looked nervously at Damian before steeling himself and looking back at Marinette with determination. “I think Damian is bad news for you.”

“Excuse me?” Marinette looked slightly offended but she mainly showed anger towards Chads statement.

“Yeah.” Chad refused to make eye contact with Damian, who if it wasn’t for the fact that Marinette was keeping a tight hold onto his hand, would have gone up to deck him in the face by now. “I mean, look at what happened on Wednesday.”

“I think you should mind your own business, Chad.” Marinette said with true anger in her eyes. “You have no idea what happened that day.”

“I know that you were kidnapped because of him.” Chad snaps back.

By now, the majority of the class’s attention was on the three.

“And I’m glad that I was. Would you really be so heartless as to let him be taken by that maniac on his own?”

“The Joker wanted his family’s money, not yours. The Ice Prince is bad news, Marinette. Can’t you see that?”

Marinette abruptly stood up and slapped his face with a satisfying smack and Damian watched in amazement as Chad stumbled back and held onto his face in horror.

“Damian is not bad news! He actually listens to me and genuinely cares about me, unlike you! He already warned me all about the risks of hanging around him and I’m choosing to stick by his side anyways because that is what I want. He’s good to me and he cares! He makes me happy. All you want is to get inside my pants!”

Damian was in his own sort of shock as he looked over to Chad. He had pulled his hand away from his face to show that a bit of blood was coming out of the side of his mouth. “You’re crazy!” He yelled.

“And you can’t take no for an answer! I should really report you but luckily for you I’m pretty forgiving. Maybe now you’ll get the hint.” She sat back down next to Damian and took his hand again. “You’re bleeding on your clothes, Chad. Why don’t you go to the nurse’s office?”

Chad stared between the two for a moment before looking around at everyone else in the room staring at him. He then quickly grabs his things and heads for the exit.

“Uhh, please no more fighting.” The substitute speaks up. “Everyone settle down and get back to what you were doing.”

Damian looked back at Marinette for a moment before he spoke up. “I can’t believe you just did that, Angel.” He whispered.

“Yeah, I probably shouldn’t have hit him so hard.” She awkwardly grins up at him. “I didn’t mean to make him bleed. I was just so angry.”

“I’m glad it was you and not me. He wouldn’t have gotten off so easily.”

“Please don’t beat anyone up on my behalf.” She giggled. “I can do that myself.” She jokes.

“Noted.” He smiles at her in wonder. “But… do I really make you happy?”

“All the time.”

“I’m glad.” He held up their joined hands and kissed the back of hers. “That’s all I ever want.”

“Well you’re easy to please.” She giggles with slight blush on her cheeks. “So, what were we talking about?”

“About how we aren’t that different.”

“I guess we do have some similarities. Although the things that make you different from me are some of my favorite parts.”

“Really? Like what?”

“Like your demeanor around other people. You’re so brooding sometimes and I find it almost as cute as the sweet way that you treat me, but it’s so different than the way you treat others. Also, I like to think that I’m very in tune with emotions and it’s amazing to watch you slowly come to understand your own. You are very charming without even realizing it.”

“I think that you’ll be the only person to think of me as charming.”

“That’s okay with me.” She chuckles. “It makes me feel almost special that way.”

“You are special. At least you are to me.”

“See?” She gestures to him. “Instead of being the Ice Prince, you have become Prince Charming instead.”

“Does that make you Cinderella?”

“I guess.” She giggles. “Sorry I don’t have any glass slippers for me to lose.”

“I wouldn’t need a glass slipper to find you anyways. I’m smarter than Prince Charming in that regard. I could never forget your face.”

“I guess that makes you even more charming than Prince Charming himself.”

“I’ll try to always live up to you expectations, Angel.”  
\---------  
“So how was school today, Baby Bird?” Dick asked at dinner that night.

“It was pleasant I suppose.” He shrugged. “Angel did slap a guy in the face.”

“What?!” Half the table answered in response.

“Why would she do something like that?” Selina asked.

“The guy had it coming.” Damian shrugged again.

“Meaning?” Tim asked.

“He walked up to us at Gym and asked to speak to her alone. She said that if it was important that he could say it in front of both of us. He then went on to tell her that she should stay away from me because I was bad news. Keep in mind that this guy has already asked her out before and she turned him down and then he told her to stay away from me then. Anyways, she told him to mind his own business but he persisted. Then she slapped him. He even started to bleed. She started to defend me and said that I made her happy unlike him. She was great.”

“I really like this girl.” Stephanie said with a wide grin.

“She made this guy bleed? From a slap?” Jason asked.

“Indeed. She put some real force behind it. The sound practically echoed off the walls.”

“Little Marinette did that?” Dick grinned. “She’s got some fire.”

“I’m with Steph here.” Barbara grinned. “I like her. Don’t you, Cass?”

Cassandra nodded with a smile.

“This young lady just keeps getting more and more interesting, doesn’t she?” Bruce grinned over at his youngest.

“Yes.” He nods to himself.

“Who knew we would ever see the day where a girl actually defends Demon Spawn.” Tim laughs. 

“These are weird times, Timmy.” Stephanie agrees.

“Might I suggest wrapping this up?” Alfred says. “Patrol will be starting soon.”

“You’re right, Alfred.” Bruce nods.

“You better work extra hard tonight, Demon Spawn.” Jason says. “Since you’re the only one with the day off tomorrow.”

“Lucky.” Stephanie mumbles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise that the next chapter will be their date. I know some of you are looking forward to it. I haven't wrote it yet but I'm in the mood to write some fluff so get ready for that.


	17. Chapter 17

Damian wasn’t the kind of person to find himself to be nervous very often, or ever, for that matter. Today seemed to be a different story though. He was incredibly nervous about his date with Marinette and he couldn’t fathom in his mind why this was the case.

He knew she liked him and so that wasn’t a problem. She also expressed her excitement for the whole ordeal and so he shouldn’t be worried about that either. By all accounts, he had nothing to worry about. The boat was ready and Alfred had already prepared some snacks for him.

Even with all of this knowledge, his heart was still beating out of his chest as he was driving to her apartment to go pick her up. He glanced down at the clock on the dashboard to check the time even though he was already aware that he was exactly on time. Damian put his car in park and sent a quick text to let her know he had arrived.

Moments later, he saw Harley make her way out of the building. He frowned at himself because he really didn’t want to talk to the woman at all. She made her way over to the car and lightly tapped on the passenger window, signaling for him to roll it down. He reluctantly obliged.

“Hi there, Damian.” She said cheerfully. “Marinette will be a moment. Why don’t you come inside and wait for her?”

Damian wanted to say no but then found himself a little curious about where she lived. Was that a normal thing to wonder about? He didn’t know.

“Sure.” He said curtly before rolling his window back up and turning the car off, locking the door as he left.

“Great! Follow me.” Harley said. “Ya know, Mari has been very excited all day.” She spoke as they walked through the buildings doors and over to the elevators. “It’s like she had been dancing around in anticipation. I’ve never seen her so joyful. Not even when we got her her new sewing machine.” 

“Really?” Damian asked as they stepped inside the elevators. He watched as Harley pressed the button for the penthouse apartment on the 15th floor.

“Oh, yeah.” She grins. “She’s even got Bud and Lou excited.”

“Huh.” Damian nods in answer.

So, his Angel was excited for the date? He found himself pleased at this news. It was nice to know that he could have such an impact on her just as she had an impact in him.

“I’ve gotta say that this is the most happy I have ever seen you too. Ya don’t smile too often, Damian.”

He hadn’t even realized that he was smiling until Harley had said something. He had to admit that she was right though. He never smiled that much, at least not before his Angel came around.

“And here we are!” Harley said as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened.

There was a small lobby with a few chairs and a singular plant just to the left of the elevator. Right across from it though was the only door. The whole top floor must belong to them with the rooftop access being somewhere in their apartment. Harley skipped over to the door and opened it, holding it open for Damian. He nodded in acknowledgment as he stepped into the apartment.

Damian wasn’t surprised to see that the place was filled with greenery. It’s what he expected from a place that Poison Ivy lived in. The place was oddly sophisticated though.

The apartment was very open. You could see the kitchen, with its white marble counters and stainless steel appliances, just on the farthest wall and the dining room was to the right of the front door. It was a beautiful glass table with modern steel chairs and deep grey plush cushions. On the center of the table held an immaculate ivy plant who’s leaves delicately hung off the edge of the table.

To the left of the front door was the living room. Spacious in size, it had a very comfortable looking deep grey sectional couch that looked like it could seat many people. The wall had a very sizable TV and in the center of the living room was a beautiful glass coffee table that looked as though it matched the dining room table. Dainty plants were bunched all in the center of the coffee table and Ivy was there, lightly spritzing them with a spray bottle.

“Hello, Damian.” Ivy said when she caught Damian’s eye. “Marinette is in her room.” She pointed to a door just to the left of the kitchen. “She should be out soon. Why don’t you have a seat while you wait?” Ivy gestured to the couch in front of her.

“Sure.” Damian said as he went to go sit down.

“Where is Bud and Lou?” Harley asked as she walked up to the red head.

“Marigold took them with her.”

“Maybe I can steal them back.” She laughed as she walked over to the door belonging to Marinette. “Mari, Sweetheart!” She yelled after knocking on the door. “Damian’s here. I want him to meet Bud and Lou.”

“We’ll be out in a sec!” She yelled back. “I’m putting my shoes on now.” It was silent for a second before she spoke again. “Wait, when you say Damian is here, do you mean down stairs waiting for me or here here?”

Harley laughed again. “He’s here here, Sweetie. He’s on the couch.”

“Really?!” She squeaked loudly as a bit of a ruckus was heard through the door. Seconds later, she came stumbling out with Bud and Lou on either side of her.

Damian wasn’t sure why, but after seeing her he had to stand up. It was a reflex—like it would be rude to just sit there when she entered the room. She looked purely angelic in his eyes.

She was wearing a baby pink dress, almost white, and it had a bit of a deeper pink, sparse floral pattern throughout. The sleeves were a long mesh and flared out loosely starting from the elbows. The dress was a bit of a V-neck and the skirt stopped a few inches above the ankles with tulle delicately bunched at the bottom. She also wore simple white pumps and her hair loosely hung in soft waves past her shoulders.

“Hi, Damian.” She grinned widely at him. “You look nice today.”

“Oh, uhh.” He looked down at what he was wearing. His brothers and sisters had insisted that he dressed well for the date and so he did. He had on a deep green button up with his black blazer on top that were both tailored exactly to his size, along with his black dress pants and shoes. He felt his looks paled in comparison to her though as he looked back up at her. “Thank you. Although I must say that you look truly radiant in that dress.”

“Thanks.” She blushed. “I made it myself.”

“Well you’ve done an incredible job, Angel.” He smiled at her blushing face.

“Aw, so cute.” Harley clapped.

“Oh, right.” Marinette looked over at Harley like she just realized she was there before looking down at Bud and Lou who sat at attention by her feet. “Damian, this is Bud and this is Lou.” She pointed each of them out. “Go say hi.” Marinette spoke sweetly to them.

They both instantaneously sprung up and ran towards Damian in a playful, goofy sprint which was the exact opposite mannerism they had before.

Damian kept calm and watched them carefully as they approached. He had met them before and he knew they were well trained. He had to give Harley props on that. They only attacked if told to.

They ran around him in playful circles, occasionally jumping up to be eye level with him but never once touched him.

“You can pet them.” Harley encouraged. “They won’t bite… unless I tell them to.” She laughed.

Damian reached down to pet them and they both instantaneously flopped over on their backs, clearly wanting their bellies rubbed. He couldn’t help but to smirk at their playful nature as he happily did so. What had his Angel called them? Big puppies with menacingly sharp teeth. He had to agree with that assessment.

“I told you that you would like them.” Marinette spoke as she stood beside him and pet the hyenas as well.

“Yes you did, Angel.” He grinned up at her.

“Oh! Before ya guys leave.” Harley pulled out her phone. “Let me take a picture of the two of ya’s.”

“Aunt Harley.” Marinette whined. “We need to leave soon if we want to catch the sunset.”

“It won’t take long.” She stepped back and held her phone up to the two. “Come.” She said sharply and both the hyenas quickly went to her side.

“Sorry.” Marinette looked over to Damian. “The quicker we do what she says the quicker we can leave.”

“It’s okay, Angel.”

“Okay then.” Harley grinned brightly. “Smile for the camera!”

Damian turned his attention to Harley and was surprised when Marinette wrapped her arm around his waist. He looked at her for a half a beat before smiling softly at her and lightly putting his arm around her waist as well.

“Aw, that was really cute.” Harley said and Damian finally looked back at the woman, unaware that she already took the pictures. “Red, remind me to send these to Dick later.”

“Why not send it to him now?” Ivy asked.

“Our families are conspiring.” Marinette whispered in Damian’s ear. “We should leave before they invite them over too.”

“I suppose you’re right.” He grinned down at her.

“Well if you’re done with that” Marinette spoke to her aunts. “We should really get going.”

“Okay.” Ivy smiled. “Have fun you two.”

“But not too much fun.” Harley laughed as she held the door open for them as they left.

“Okay.” Marinette quickly dragged Damian to the elevator. “See you later.” She spammed the elevator button.

“Bye!” Both Harley and Ivy waved as the two entered the elevator.

The moment the elevator door closed, Marinette took a deep breath. “Sorry about them.”

“It’s alright, Angel.” He took hold onto both of her hands and held them out away from her body so he could get a better look at her dress. “You know, you have some serious talent. I can’t find a single flaw anywhere.”

“I’m glad you like it.” She smiled sweetly up at him. “I made it specifically for this date.”

“Really?” He said, surprised. “But you only found out about this date on Wednesday. You made it so quickly?”

“Well I may have started it on Monday.” She shrugged. “I was really banking on the fact that you would ask me out on a date. If not, maybe I would have asked you.”

The elevator reached the bottom floor and they both stepped out and made their way outside and over to his car. “I would have no doubt said yes.”

“Maybe if this date does well then I will plan a date for you next.” Marinette said as Damian held the passenger door open for her.

“That’s okay with me.”  
\---------  
“Wow, your boat has your family’s name on it.” Marinette looked on the back of the boat where ‘Wayne’ was written in bold lettering. “This thing is nice.”

“This is our smaller boat, more built for speed and only has a single cabin in the bottom. Father as a much larger yacht meant to house all of us. I felt this was more appropriate.” Damian kept one foot on the dock and one on the boat as he held his hand out to help her aboard.

“This is your small one?” She asked as she took his hand and stepped onto the boat. “You could fit like twenty people on here though.

“True.” He nodded as he unhooked the boat from the dock. “But like I said, this only has one cabin. I guess you could say that this boat is for day trips only.”

“Well yeah, but only if you brought your whole family.” She followed him as he made his way to the driver’s seat and sat next to him to watch him drive. “You know how to move this big thing, Captain Damian?”

“I know how to operate many vehicles, Angel.” He chuckled as he slowly pulled the boat away from the dock and out into the open waters.

“Where exactly are we going?” She asked as she looked up to the sky to gauge where the sun was at.

“Well in order to see the sunset the best, we will need to face west and have the city behind us. We will set anchor just on the other side of the Gotham Bridge.” He pointed to the bridge far off into the distance. “It won’t take us long to get there.”

“Wow. You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you?”

“I try, Angel.” He chuckled.

As he drove, he periodically looked over to see Marinette looking across the water in awe. It was the exact look he was hoping to get from her and he was happy to find that his nervousness has subsided now that he was actually with her.

When he passed under the Gotham Bridge, Marinette looked up at the structure in wonder, her radiant smile never leaving her face. Her dress flowed in the breeze in a way that made her look almost ethereal. She looked as though she belonged in a fantasy setting and not in the bay of Gotham. She is the most beautiful thing Damian has ever seen, hands down.

Damian finally reached the spot he was after and slowed to a stop before dropping anchor. He then looked over at Marinette with a smile.

“Sunset’s in about 15 minutes. Why don’t we take a seat at the bow of the boat and wait? I brought some things to eat.” He gestured to the picnic basket just to the left of the captain’s wheel.

“That sounds like a great idea.” She took a hold onto his hand. “Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want you to picture Marinette's dress as that famous strawberry dress that was going around (If you know what that is) only it's flowers and not strawberries and it also has long bell sleeves instead of short sleeves.


	18. Chapter 18

The sky, which was normally grey and cloudy during the day in Gotham, was alight with phantasmal colors during the sunset. These colors usually couldn’t be seen in the city due to the tall buildings that would normally surround you. On the water though, that was a different story.

The clouds in the sky were deep pinks and oranges and reds and purples with small bits of blue peeking out here and there. Due to the constant heavy cloud coverage of the city, it caused the colors to swirl and blend in the most aesthetically pleasing way. It almost had no rhyme or reason.

The water on the other hand reflected the colors back in a muted way—the wave’s movement making the colors shift constantly and the setting sun shined directly on the horizon, centering the asymmetric view before them.

This beauty, of course, paled in comparison to the girl standing beside Damian in his eyes. Moments before the colors lit up the sky, they were sitting across from one another on the bow of the boat snacking on the food that Alfred had packed them.

Damian hadn’t realized the sunset was upon them until Marinette suddenly stopped talking about her love for fashion and looked to the west in awe. She looked at the sunset like it was the first time she had ever seen color and Damian enjoyed her reaction. He looked deep into her bluebell eyes and saw the sunset reflected into them. They were hypnotizing, mesmerizing. He could stay in this moment forever.

“Wow. Are you seeing this, Damian?” She looked back at him momentarily before turning her attention back to the west.

He looked to the west too and found that it wasn’t nearly as interesting as her eyes, so he looked back.

“I am.” He answered with a smile.

“This is the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen. Who knew Gotham could be so pretty?”

“Who, indeed.” He whispered in return. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it, Angel.”

“How could I not?” She smiled back at him. “I should thank you, Damian. I never would have gotten this opportunity without you.”

“There is no need to thank me.” Damian lightly shook his head as he gently took her hand in his. “I should be thanking you. I have witnessed the sunset a million times but it’s beauty means nothing when you are here with me. You’ve stolen the show, Angel. You’ve opened my eyes to true beauty.”

Marinette blushed at the complement and Damian much preferred that shade of pink to anything the sunset could offer.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to you saying things like that to me.” She gave him the softest smile he had ever seen. “I’m afraid that my heart will just leap out of my chest when you do that.”

“Would you like me to stop?” He chuckled.

“No. Definitely not.” She shook her head. “But you might just inflate my ego if you keep doing that.” She says sarcastically. 

“You’re too good to ever have an inflated ego.”

“You think?” Marinette grinned.

“No. I know, Angel.”

“Thanks.” She smiled down at her lap before grabbing another piece of food and looking back to the sunset, which was nearly gone by now. She took a bite before speaking. “You know, moving to Gotham has been a really nice change and a good chunk of that change is thanks to you. You’ve been so good and kind to me since I’ve met you. I never really knew someone could make me feel this way. I mean, I’ve had crushes before and I thought that I really liked them but I know now that it was just that. A crush. Something temporary and easily fleeting. Whatever this is.” She held up their joined hands to show her point. “It’s different. And a good different. I like it.”

“I understand what you mean.” Damian nods. “Although I’ve never really had a crush before this so I can’t say that I 100 percent know what that’s like. This being different though—a good different… that I understand.”

Marinette smiled at that and was silent for a moment as the two watched the end of the sunset. Not long after, the only light source that could be seen was coming from behind them and they both turned around to look back to the city.

The full moon hung just over the city but was blocked out by the clouds, causing them to shine a dull grey. The city on the other hand glows a warm orange color despite the now cooling night air. Again, the water mirrored the colors in a constantly moving reflection.

“Wayne tower is really easily spotted at night, isn’t it?” Marinette asked. “It’s a very pretty building though. The architecture is so different from anything else I’ve ever seen.”

Damian looked up to the largest building in the city. It was very easily recognized, with the giant W shining bright above all the rest of the city’s lights. The building was almost cathedral-like, only it was a bit wider and a lot taller. It perfectly matched Gotham’s aesthetic. If you could even get close to it you would even see the intricate gargoyle statues at the top.

“It is.” Damian nodded. “I could take you to the top some time if you’d like.”

“Hey, I’m planning the next date, remember?”

“Oh, that’s right.” Damian grinned. “How could I forget?”

Marinette laughed for a moment before speaking again. “The Gotham Bridge is also really pretty at night.” She looks over to the bridge.

Damian looks up for a moment to see the large bridge lit up for the night. The headlights from cars passing along with the lights of the bridge itself accentuated the silhouette of it nicely.

Damian smiled back down to Marinette only to see her shiver slightly.

“Are you cold?” He asked.

“A little bit. I probably should have brought a jacket.” She shrugged.

Damian didn’t even hesitate to take off his blazer jacket and wrap it around the bluenette. “Here.” He said softly.

“Damian.” She smiled up at him. “But now you’re going to be cold.”

The young billionaire looked over at the girl and found that he really enjoyed the sight of her wearing his clothes. His jacket was clearly way too big on her but that somehow made her that much more alluring. She looked so tiny and angelic.

“Don’t worry about me, Angel. I’m not bothered by the cold.”

“Well this was very chivalrous of you, Damian.” She looked down at the jacket and finally looped her arms through the sleeves and pushed them back to free her hands. She wrapped the jacket tighter around her torso and took a deep breath. “It smells like you.” She smiled up at him. “I like it.”

Damian couldn’t help but to chuckle. “And what do I smell like?”

“I don’t know.” Her brows knit together as she thinks about that. “It’s very clean and comforting. It’s not like you wear a cologne. I couldn’t really compare it to anything.”

“I’ll take that as a complement then.” He smirked at the bluenette.

Marinette couldn’t help but to laugh as well. “Well it was a complement.” She got up on her knees to crawl her way over to his side to sit next to him. “And your also very warm.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “Not icy at all, despite what some people may think.”

Damian put his arm around her waist and leaned into her as well. “It makes me happy you think so.”

They both sat there like that for a while in comfortable silence as they looked off to the city’s skyline peacefully. Damian wanted nothing more than to be this happy forever. Anytime she was with him she brought calm and joy with her. He felt as though he was always his best self when she was with him. Marinette was his guardian Angel.

“Damian.” She whispered as she looked up at him.

“Yes, my Angel?” He whispered just as softly as he looked down at her, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. He let his hand linger on her cheek as he waited for her answer.

“Can I kiss you?” She asked breathlessly.

Damian was stunned by her forwardness for a moment but quickly smiled in return. “Of course you can, Angel. You never have to ask.”

She smiled nervously up at him and Damian waited in baited breath as he watched her slowly shift so she could face him directly. She began to lean towards him and Damian couldn’t help but to lean in was well. They closed their eyes in unison and their lips finally touched.

Damian had imagined this moment a million times but his imagination failed to do what reality could. Her pillowy soft lips molded perfectly to his and his heart did excited flips when she wrapped her arms behind his neck. He let his hands rest on her hips before suddenly pulling her closer to him. He was honestly surprised by his own actions but she didn’t seem to mind. He instead felt her smile before deepening the kiss even further and she ran her fingers through his hair as she sat on his lap, letting each of her knees rest on either side of his hips. She was taller than him this way and he found himself looking up at her when they finally pulled apart.

“I’ve been waiting for so long to do that.” She smiled triumphantly down at him.

“Have you really?” He raised an eyebrow up at her. He couldn’t help but to smile from ear to ear.

“Ever since I first laid my eyes on you.” She said as she rested her arms on his shoulders and loosely joined her hands behind him.

“I wish you would have told me sooner.”

“Yeah.” She chuckled. “Me too.”

“You let me know anytime you want another one.”

“How about now?” She smirked as she leaned closer again.

“That’s more than okay with me.” He closed the distance between them without hesitation.

Any coherent thoughts Damian once had seems to leave his mind all at once. He found that the only important thing at the moment was the girl in front of him. She was intoxicating and every move she made had him begging for more. He could never seem to have enough of her and he found that no matter how close she was to him, it just wasn’t enough. It was ridiculous though and he knew it. It was impossible for them to get any closer. There was no distance between them.

But he knew this moment couldn’t last forever and they both reluctantly broke away from each other, though she stayed seated on his lap. He didn’t mind this at all though. He knew he would be upset when she had to leave.

She smiled down at him again, slightly out of breath, and held both sides of his face sweetly. “What am I going to do with you?” She said.

“Whatever you want.” He answered honestly. “I don’t think I could say no to you.”

“You’re going to spoil me, aren’t you?” Marinette smirked.

“Probably. Anything to make you happy.”

“Well that shouldn’t be too hard.” She sighed happily. “Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

“You have a deal.”

Marinette laughed and Damian found himself laughing as well. The sound was yet again music to his ears. He hoped that this feeling with her was the new norm. He had never felt as happy as he did at this very moment.

“So,” Marinette smiled at him. “I know this date isn’t over yet but would you like to go on another one with me next weekend?”

“Yes.” Damian answered quickly.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to one up this though.” She gestured around them. “I think that maybe next time we will do something a little bit more simple.”

“I’m happy to do anything as long as I’m with you.”

“How about the Gotham Aquarium? I’ve been dying to go.”

“It’s a date then.” He reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear again. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did you like this chapter? I'll admit that this one took a bit longer to write than most of the others. I hope I did it justice.


	19. Chapter 19

“Harley texted.” Marinette sighed. “It’s getting late and she’s wondering when I’m coming home.”

Damian pulled out his own phone to see that it was getting closer to one in the morning. “I didn’t even realize.” He held Marinette by her waist as he stood up, setting her back down gently in front of him. “I should probably get you back home.”

“What if we just ditched our families and stayed out all night?” She smirked.

“I would love to but I know for a fact that my family would come track us down.”

“You’re right.” Marinette giggled. “Harley and Ivy would probably hijack a boat to come find us and I promised Nightwing that I would light the bat signal if they did anything bad.”

“And we don’t want that.” Damian chuckled. “Come on. Let’s go dock this thing so I can take you home before either of our families do something drastic.”

Marinette looked back at the city’s lights and took a deep breath before nodding. “Alright. Let’s go.”

“Don’t look so down, Angel. I plan on having many more nights like this with you.” He spoke sweetly to her. “We can come back and do this another time.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” She grinned up at him.  
\---------  
“You better thank your father for me for letting us borrow his boat.” Marinette said as the two got off the boat hand in hand.

“I’ll be sure to do that, Angel.”

They let their joined hands swing carefree at their sides as they walked in comfortable silence to Damian’s car. Damian opened the passenger door for her and reluctantly let go of her hand as he shut the door behind her before making his way to the drivers’ seat.

Immediately after starting his car, he took her hand again as they drove off. Marinette began to lightly play with his fingers. Damian found that these little interactions felt so normal to him. It was refreshing.

“You must do a lot of work with your hands.” She eventually said.

“What?” Damian looked over at her.

“You have very calloused hands.” She turned over his hand to have his palm facing upwards. “See? You have to lift weights or something. There is no way you have your physique otherwise.”

“Well, my whole family likes to keep in shape.” He smiled down at her. Damian didn’t tell her the whole story but the statement was true nonetheless. “Father says that Alfred’s food will make us fat if we don’t.”

“He’s probably right.” Marinette laughs. “Alfred makes some good food.” She holds her hand up to his to compare the size. “You know, sometimes you make me feel so tiny.”

“You are tiny, Angel.” He smiles as he looks at the size difference. Her small and delicate hands were the exact opposite of his. Her hands were nimble and soft—like they were perfect for doing small and intricate work like sewing—whereas his were strong and hard, made for something more labor intensive. “But that isn’t a bad thing. I like that about you. I could pick you up and carry you around with me if I wanted.”

“You could.” She nods. “And I like that about you too. I’ve taken care of myself for so long that it’s nice to know that if need be, you could be there to protect me. I can protect myself, obviously, but I know that you could too. It’s sort of… freeing. I feel like I’m safe and I can finally relax with you around. I can do that with my aunts too, but it’s different somehow with you.”

Damian couldn’t help but to smile from ear to ear at that. “Angel, I always want you to feel safe with me. I want you to be happy. Always. Even if some villain tries to kidnap us again, I want you to know that I will always try my best to keep you safe.” Damian came to a stop in front of Marinette’s apartment building and put the car in park. 

“I know you will.” She smiles sweetly at him before looking back to her apartment. “I guess I should get going.”

“Unfortunately, I think you’re right.”

Marinette looked back at Damian softly before taking a deep breath. “I guess I’ll see you on Monday?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to see you again.”

“Okay then.” Marinette smiled before leaning across the car to kiss him.

Damian didn’t even hesitate to meet her halfway. For some reason, this kiss was a bit bittersweet. Damian knew it had something to do with this being a bit of a goodbye until Monday. Maybe that’s why they lingered like this for quite some time. Marinette was the one to pull away.

“I’ll see you soon.” She whispered.

“Goodbye, my Angel.” He whispered back. “Don’t be afraid to call me if you need anything.”

“I will.” She smiled at him one last time before opening the car door and making her way inside the apartment building.

Damian didn’t pull off until she was completely out of sight.  
\---------  
Damian entered the house and frowned when he saw his whole family waiting for him. He hadn’t realized he stayed out past patrol time.

“Welcome back, Master Damian.” Alfred greeted. “The others have been patently awaiting for your return home.”

“So, how was your date?” Stephanie asked excitedly.

“It was nice.” He said sharply before starting to walk off.

“Wait.” Dick stopped him from walking any farther. “That’s all you have to say? What was it like? Did she have a good time?”

Damian took a deep breath before turning to face all the others. “Why must you do this? And you too, father?”

“I’m here to reign them in. Besides, this is a bit exciting for everyone, Damian. We’re all I bit curious.”

“Well…” Damian was quiet for a moment. “We are going on another date next weekend.”

His family began to cheer at this news.

“So it went well?” Barbara asked with a bright smile.

“Of course.”

“Did you kiss her?” Tim asked with a smirk.

Damian was slightly caught off guard by the question and couldn’t help but to blush as he thought back to the multiple kisses they shared tonight.

“I think he did.” Jason gave him a knowing smile. “Way to go, Demon Spawn.”

Cassandra gave him a slight pat in the back and an encouraging smile. For some reason, this made him blush even more.

“Look at him.” Selina said to Bruce. “The little kitten is smitten.”

“You should invite her back around some time, Little D.” Dick encouraged. “Maybe invite her around after school.”

“But then you might be inclined to embarrass her.” Damian glared, still trying to calm his blush down.

“I wouldn’t allow it.” Bruce spoke up. “Damian, if you plan on having her stick around then it would be nice for us all to continue to get to know her.”

“Plus, it’s nice to have more girl friends and I think Cass and Babs would agree.” Stephanie added. “She’s a joy to be around.”

“By the way,” Tim smirked. “Where’s your jacket?”

Damian looked down at himself, completely forgetting that he was wearing one when he left earlier. “Well it got cold.” He looked back up at everyone. “So I gave it to her. She still has it.”

“Aww!” Stephanie cooed. “That’s so sweet.”

“And chivalrous.” Selina turned to Bruce. “Did you teach him that?”

“I would love to take the credit but I think he did that all on his own.” Bruce smiled proudly at his son.

“Which reminds me.” Dick pulled out his phone. “Harley sent me an amazing picture earlier today.” He turned his phone towards Damian so he could see. “We should get this framed.”

Damian looked at the photo to see Marinette smiling brightly at the camera, looking as beautiful as ever with her arm wrapped around Damian’s waist. She looked absolutely ecstatic to be standing there with him. Damian, however, was looking solely at Marinette as his arm was wrapped around her waist in return. He saw that soft smile on his past selves face that he only seemed to have just for her. It looked like she was the only thing he was seeing and thinking back on it, she was.

“Can you send that to me?” Damian looked back up at Dick as he asked.

“Oh.” Dick looked almost a little shocked to have gotten that reaction from him. “Sure.”

“Thanks.” He said before turning to leave. “I’m going to shower up and go to bed now.”

His family just stood there in awe as he walked off.

“I’ll bet everything I have that he’s going to marry that girl someday.” Jason spoke up.

“You’re probably right, Master Jason.” Alfred nods, smiling a bit to himself.

“Yeah. I don’t think there is any argument there, Jay.” Tim agrees.

“Well we should all follow Damian’s lead and get to bed.” Bruce speaks up. “We’ve got a busy day of training tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really thinking about writing in Marinette's POV now but I'm also wondering if I should wait until I do an even 20 chapters in Damian's first. Thoughts?


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra long chapter incoming! Hope you enjoy this new POV.

Ivy sits on the couch with Harley while they pretend to watch whatever movie was on the screen, but really they are both staying up to wait for Marinette to come home from her date with the youngest Wayne. She saw how much this boy made her happy and she hoped that it would continue to be like that or else Damian Wayne would be in a world of trouble. Marigold has already been through enough and some rich snob breaking her heart might just break her kind soul.

Ivy can’t help but to think back to the news of actually being accepted into the foster home program for troubled teens. Her and Harley had a long and hard talk about how they grew up and decided that saving someone that could have been in a similar situation to them was something they wanted. The two also wanted a bit of a sense of family that didn’t revolve around just the two of them. Harley always wanted a bit of a domestic life and Ivy was more than happy to share that dream with her.

The application process was the hardest bit. Both her and Harley were both clinically insane at one point and have committed many crimes in the past. Convincing the people that ran the program was rather difficult. They had to send over their clean bill of health over half a dozen times and had to get multiple people from Arkham’s medical team to vouch for them. In the end, a doctor had said that taking care of someone made them more likely to stay out of trouble. It would be something to occupy their time and in one of the most productive ways. Taking care of a child was a serious job and the fact that they wanted to do such a thing showed a great change in their character.

The day they got the acceptance email was one of the happiest days of their lives. It was up there with the time they ran away to Vegas to get married.

They had gotten a whole file on the child they were going to foster for the foreseeable future. Her name was Marinette Dupain-Cheng from Paris, France. It had said that she was troubled because she was out of control. She bullied everyone around her and lied to everyone’s face without remorse. She had even gotten into fights and somehow escaped the house when she was grounded. Her parents had said that she could not be contained. 

Ivy had to admit that she was a little bit worried about that but she trusted that Harley and herself could handle anything thrown their way. Little did she know that almost everything on that file was completely wrong.

They had to pick her up from the airport on a late Thursday night. Ivy stayed calm throughout it all as she held up the sign with the girls name but Harley on the other hand, was bouncing with excitement. She couldn’t wait for the newcomer. She wanted to become best friends with her and Ivy found her demeanor towards the situation to be quite cute.

And then they saw her. She was a petite girl and she carried a suitcase almost half her size and had a rather large backpack on her back. The way she looked around the airport was almost… cautious—like she didn’t trust anybody. Ivy understood though. They were in Gotham. You should never trust anybody in Gotham. Then the girl caught sight of them.

Ivy recognized the look she gave them. She had seen it many times from strangers who knew who she was and what she had done. It was a look of worry, but this girl didn’t seem to be scared. She only approached them with extreme caution.

“Are you the ones fostering me?” She asked in a heavy French accent.

“That’s us!” Harley said cheerfully. “Welcome to Gotham, Marinette! I’m Harleen and this is Pamela but you can call us Harley and Ivy.”

“They let you… foster?” Marinette asked timidly.

“They did.” Harley smiled brightly. “But I’m guessing you’ve heard of us?” She looked over to Ivy. “We must be popular in France, Red. Who knew?” She joked.

“I understand you might be worried.” Ivy spoke calmly to the teen. “But we did this the right way and have proved ourselves to society. We’ve done our sentence in Arkham and have been given our clean bill of health. Now it’s our turn to live our lives the right way and give back by doing the right thing. That’s why we want to foster a troubled child and why we decided to take you in.”

And then Marinette smiled so brightly at them. “You mean that? You aren’t lying?”

“Of course not!” Harley said honestly. “We’ve never been much of liars even before being released from Arkham.”

“So you promise to never lie to me?” She asked earnestly.

Ivy and Harley looked at each other and Ivy could tell her thoughts mirrored hers. This girl had some vendetta against liars and she has been hurt in some way by it. If Harley was feeling the same way she did then she knows this to be true. Despite what some people may think, Harley is very good at reading people. 

They both looked back to the girl at the same time. “No, sweetheart.” Harley spoke in a comforting voice. “We’ll never lie to you. Promise.”

“Thank you.” She sighed in relief. “So, where are we going?”

“Back to our apartment.” Ivy gestured for her to follow. “Our cars not parked too far.”

As they made their way to the car, Harley opened up the trunk to allow Marinette to put her luggage in. The suitcase looked quite heavy but the small girl seemed to have no problem with it at all.

“You can put you backpack in here too.” Harley offered with a smile.

“No. I want to carry this with me.” She clung onto the backpack like her life depended on it.

The way she spoke and acted made it sound like the backpack held her most valuable possession. Harley and Ivy gave each other another knowing look.

“Alright.” Ivy nodded. “Hop in.”

Marinette smiled and nodded at the two before getting into the back seat of the convertible and buckling up. She still held onto the backpack for dear life though.

As they drove, Marinette looked around at the city in awe and Ivy found her expression quite enchanting—it practically drew you in. In her mind, there was no way this girl could ever do what her file accused her of. It just wasn’t adding up to her and she knew Harley felt the same way.

When they got to the apartment they parked their car and took her luggage back out and the three made their way to the elevator in silence.

“Do you like plants, Marinette?” Ivy asked as they were riding up.

“Of course.” She smiled up at the woman. “There is no beauty quite like nature. I often go outside for inspiration. I’ve designed and made many clothes based off of nature.”

“You make clothes?” Harley asked.

“I did but my parents grounded me from it months ago. They took away my sewing machine and supplies. I still designed though.” She added the last bit a bit more cheerfully.

Ivy frowned at that for a moment. Isn’t it a bit harmful to take away a child’s passion and creative outlet? What good would that do besides make the child despise you?

“Well,” Ivy smiled at the young girl. “If you find nature inspiring then you will love our apartment. I hope it inspires you to design a whole bunch of things.” The elevator stops and the three step off.

Just as Harley reaches the door she stops and turns around to face the teen.

“How do ya feel about animals?”

“I like animals. I’ve always wanted a pet but I could never have one because I lived in a bakery.”

“Well want no longer, girly.” Harley said excitedly. “Get ready to meet Bud and Lou.”

“Bud and Lou?” Marinette questioned.

“They’re hyenas.” Harley grinned. “But don’t be afraid. They are super nice, I swear!”

Marinette looked over at Ivy with worry in her eyes.

“Hey, didn’t we promise to never lie to you?” Ivy said.

“Okay.” Marinette grinned awkwardly at the two. “I’m trusting you.”

“Alright then. Welcome home, Marinette!” Harley said as she opened the door wide and stepped aside.

It was quite a treat to watch Marinette’s reaction to it all. At first she looked around the apartment with the same awed look from before but then she caught sight of Bud and Lou heading her way. At first she was wide eyed but then she couldn’t help bit to giggle at the twos goofy nature. Their tongues flopped wildly as they jumped around the girl in playful circles.

“Back up!” Harley ordered and the hyenas loyally obeyed as they backed up quite a few feet before sitting down. “Come on in.” Harley gestured for her to come inside. “And don’t be afraid to pet Bud and Lou. They love belly rubs.”

“Okay.” She said cheerfully as she stepped inside the apartment and walked up to the hyenas. She bent down to pet them and they both flopped onto their backs for her.

Harley and Ivy watched her play with Bud and Lou for quite a few minutes before the bluenette finally looked up at them. “You were right. They are super nice.”

“They are also great protection.” Harley ginned. “So you never have to be scared with them around.”

“I guess not.” Marinette giggled before turning back to pet them again.

“Would you like to see your room and maybe put you things away?” Ivy offered.

“Oh, uhh, yeah.” She stood up.

“Follow us.” Ivy walked over to the door closest to the kitchen and opened it so they could all step inside.

The room had a bed centered on the far wall with nightstands on either side and a large bay window on the far right wall. There was an open archway on the left wall and just to the right of the archway was a simple desk and chair with a lamp on it. Through the archway was a door leading into a small walk in closet on the left and on the right was a door leading to a small en suite bathroom. The dresser was on the wall just as you enter the room directly across from the bed and a simple standing mirror was in the corner next to it by the window. All of the furniture was a simple white painted wood and the bedding was a deep green matching the deep green plants on both nightstands.

“Wow. This is so nice.” Marinette looked around the room in wonder. “Thank you.”

“Hey, it’s no big.” Harley grinned. “Glad ya like it. And if ya want, we can take you shoppin’ to make this place more your own. We really didn’t know what you liked so we kept it pretty bare.”

“Oh, this is more than okay.” She sat on the edge of the bed and looked around. “This isn’t what I expected when I heard I was coming to Gotham. I know it sounds strange but I’m kind of glad I was sent here. I haven’t felt this welcomed in so long.” Tears began to form in her eyes.

“You mind telling us how you ended up being sent here?” Ivy asked. “I have the feeling the file we got had you completely wrong.”

Marinette looked up at the two women and burst into tears. Harley and Ivy looked at each other with worry before going up to the girl to comfort her. They sat on either side of her and gently rubbed her back, trying to calm her down.

“It’s alright, Marinette.” Harley cooed. “You’re safe here. You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to but we will always listen. We want what’s best for you.”

She continued to cry for a quite a long time before she was calm enough to speak.

“Are you alright, Marigold?” Ivy asked.

“I think so.” She answered weakly. “I haven’t cried like that since…” She trailed off.

“Since what?” Harley encouraged.

“I…” She looked down at her lap. “I really want to tell you. I don’t know why you two of all people would be the ones I feel like I can trust but I do. I just… don’t know if I should.” She looked up at them in heartbreaking sadness.

“Why shouldn’t you tell us?” Ivy asked with true confusion.

“Because…” She looked between the two women like she was having a true inner struggle.

And then the silence was broken, only not from the three of them.

“It’s okay, Marinette. I think you should tell them.” A high pitched voice had said.

Both Harley and Ivy looked around for the sound but came up empty. They only found Marinette’s slightly shocked expression.

“Are you sure?” Marinette asked.

“Yes.”

Then the two women found where the voice was coming from and they looked on in shock. It was floating a few feet away from them. It was a bright red color with a few black spots and it looked between everyone with bright blue eyes.

“What is that?” Ivy asked in horror.

“Tikki.” Marinette looked over at it, scolding. “A little warning would have been nice.” She sighed. “I guess I can tell you now. Harley, Ivy this is Tikki.”

“Wow!” Harley laughed. “Are you a fairy?”

“No.” Marinette sighed. “I guess I should start by saying that I haven’t cried like that since finally defeating Hawkmoth.”

“Hawkmoth?” Both women asked simultaneously.

“He was a super villain. He terrorized Paris for years and it was my job along with a partner I once had to take him down. You see, all three of us were powered by the Miraculous—jewelry bound by kwami’s like Tikki here. I have the Ladybug Miraculous which grants the power of creation and my partner had the Black Cat miraculous which grants the power of destruction. Hawkmoth had the Butterfly Miraculous which grated the power of transmission. He could give anyone with a strong enough emotion any power he chose; only he sought out those with strong negative emotions so they were easier to sway to his side. He would bargain with them and give them easy revenge or something similar and in return he wanted the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous. Together the two could grant any wish but the catch is that everything comes at a price. The two Miraculous balance each other and so the wish would have caused a give and take. You wish for world peace? Humanity would probably go extinct. That’s why we had to stop him… Or I had to stop him.”

“What do you mean?” Harley asked, completely entranced by the story.

“My partner betrayed me. We didn’t know it for the longest time and I didn’t know it until the very end but… Hawkmoth was my partner— Chat Noir’s father. When he found that out and understood what he would have wished for he just… switched sides. Chat Noir’s mother, Hawkmoth’s wife, fell into an irreversible coma long ago and the wish would have been to bring her back. I almost lost that day but luck was on my side I guess. And then I found out who Chat Noir really was and I was devastated. He was my one and only friend and I watched as both he and his father were hauled away to jail. I cried so hard that night. For one, I was finally free to feel the extreme sadness I was holding in for so long but also, I cried because even after finally winning the battle I was fighting for so many years, I had truly lost everything.”

“You lost… everything?” Ivy asked sadly.

“Yeah.” She gave them the best smile she could manage but it came out as more of a grimace. “Way before any of that happened I once had a bunch of friends and my parents were actually… I don’t know. Good to me? But then this liar moved to my school and everything slowly began to change. I knew she was a liar but no one believed me. She didn’t like that I was trying to expose her for what she really is so she gave me an ultimatum. Either I play along and do what she says or she turns everyone against me. I obviously refused. I had no idea she was such a good manipulator.”

“Wait.” Harley gasped. “Are you saying that this liar girl convinced your own parents that you were a bully and a liar when it was really her the whole time?”

“Yep.” Marinette sighed.

“But I don’t understand.” Ivy spoke up. “The file said you got into fights and escaped the house when you were grounded. How did she lie her way into that?”

“I have to say that her fighting story was her grandest yet. The set up was perfect by all accounts. My parents had me grounded for months and they said they would unground me if I apologized for everything I supposedly did. I figured I had nothing else to loose and so I agreed. I was wrong, of course. She came crying to my house the next day covered in bruises and blood. I was even surprised by the sight. It was all fake, of course, but it did look very real. That was the day my parents decided to send me away. And as for the escaping… I did do that a few times.” She looked shamefully down at her lap. “I just couldn’t stand being locked in my room like a prison. I had absolutely nothing to do. Even Tikki here was dying of boredom. Getting caught meant nothing different though. I got yelled at every day anyways.”

“Wow.” Harley looked between the kwami and the girl. “I’m so sorry that happened to you, Marinette.”

“Do we need to teach this liar a lesson?” Ivy asked with true anger in her eyes.

“No!” Marinette panicked. “Please don’t! I just…” She calmed down a bit. “I don’t want anyone else to get involved. Especially not you two. From what I see you two have your lives back on track and I want you to stay that way. Besides, going after her makes me look that much more guilty. I really think it would be best to move on from that part of my life. I don’t want anything to do with Paris anymore and also, I’m the guardian of the Miraculous and taking them back there for any reason would be stupid. That’s another reason why I’m thankful to be here in Gotham, even if this is a super dangerous city.”

“Guardian of the Miraculous?” Harley asked.

“There are multiple Miraculous and now that Hawkmoth was defeated, I now have them all. The guardian before me had died and I was the only one left to protect them. I can’t let them fall into the wrong hands again. They are all I have left and I will protect them with my life.”

Ivy thinks back to the time Marinette clung onto her backpack and she begins to understand why she acted in such a way. This small and broken teenage girl had a very important job, it seems. Her entire situation is truly heart breaking and Ivy thought to herself that she would do everything she could to help in any way she could, starting with making her feel safe and loved again.

“Wow.” Harley smiles over to Ivy. “We took in a real life superhero. Take that, Bats! This girl is better than Robin. She single handedly saved the world.” She jokes.

Marinette couldn’t help but to genuinely giggle. “I can’t believe you are taking this so well. I thought that you would freak out and call me crazy or tell me I’m a liar.”

“How could we call you crazy when there is this flying… thing in front of us?” Harley pointed to Tikki. “And we have seen stranger things here in Gotham.”

“I am not a thing!” Tikki says. “I’m a kwami.”

“My bad.” Harley smiles at the kwami. “But seriously.” She looks back to the bluenette. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I think I am.” She smiled at the two women. “I don’t think Gotham will be as bad as my parents thought it would be. I’m glad they were wrong.”

“Oh, Gotham isn’t that bad. Especially if you stick with us. Nobody messes with Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy!” Harley smirked. “And if they do then its snack time for Bud and Lou!”

Marinette giggled again. “You’re funny Harley, you know that?”

“Of course I do.” She smiled sweetly at the teen. “And don’t you ever forget that.”

“Now you’re going to give her a big head.” Ivy rolled her eyes.

“She’s just jealous that she’s not as hilarious as I am.” Harley winked at Marinette.

“Yeah sure.” Ivy nodded. “But it’s getting late and Marigold here has had quite a day. We should let her get some rest.”

“You’re right, Red.” Harley looked back to the girl. “Our room is the door just by the living room. If you need anything don’t be afraid to ask. We’re making omelets in the morning. Anything specific you want in yours when we cook it?”

“Cheese and spinach, please?” She asked timidly.

“You got it.” Ivy nodded. “Is there anything else you need before you go to bed?”

“Umm… Can I play with Bud and Lou some more?”

“Absolutely.” Harley whistled and the two came prancing into the room. “And you should know that they are great cuddle buddies too.” She patted the bed and they both hopped up happily and sat on either side of the teen.

“Thank you guys again.” Marinette scratched each of the hyena’s heads.

“It’s no problem, Marigold.” Ivy grinned. “We’ll leave you to it. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” She waved as they each exited the room.

That night Harley and Ivy talked about how much the poor girl must have been through and they discussed how quickly both of them fell in love with her. They vowed to each other right then and there that they wouldn’t let anything bad ever happen to her again.

Throughout the following weeks they ended up learning more and more about the teen. She told them stories of her hero work and even provided videos of what she could do (which they both found to be amazing) and they learned more about this liar girl, whose name was Lila, and by the end of the first week Marinette surprised them both by claiming them as her new aunts. She wanted them to be her family as much as they wanted Marinette to be theirs. She even talked about taking their last names once she turned 18 and honestly Ivy was touched. It was beautiful how quickly she integrated into the family. She only wished she could legally adopt her but she still belonged to her biological parents and she hoped that they would never ask for her back. She didn’t want her to go back to that horrid place.

They even quickly grew used to the kwami roaming the house. Tikki was a sweet creature who cared very much for Marinette. They found out that Tikki was the only person who truly kept Marinette whole throughout all the mess that was her life back in Paris. She was the only friend she could talk to about her problems both behind the mask and without.

And then Marinette was finally ready to go back to school and they enrolled her into Gotham’s finest—Gotham Academy. She was a bit upset about the school uniforms but she quickly got over it when she saw the new sewing machine they had got her. It was one of the happiest times they had ever seen the girl. Well, that was before she met Damian Wayne. Now she smiles all the time and it’s thanks to him.

Ivy had to admit that the way he looked at her was so sweet and kind. She hadn’t realized the Ice Prince could ever act that way but she couldn’t blame him for falling for Marinette’s radiant charm. She was hard to resist. It made her wonder how her parents and friends could ever deny it. This Lila girl really got under her skin every time she thought about her.

“Aunt Harley, Aunt Ivy! I’m home.” Marinette said as she walked through the front door with Tikki flying by her head, finally breaking Ivy out of her thoughts and back to the present day.

They both looked over at her with a smile. “Welcome home, Marigold. How was your date?”

“It was wonderful!” She squealed. “I’ve never felt so special in all my life.” 

“It was very romantic.” Tikki added on.

“Is that his jacket?” Harley smirked as she pointed to the black blazer she was wearing, which was way too big for her.

“Yes!” She squeaked. “He gave it to me because I was cold. Isn’t that sweet?”

“Very.” Ivy nodded. “I’m so happy you had a good time. Do you plan on going on another date.”

“Yes.” Marinette smiled brightly. “We are going to the aquarium next weekend.”

“Oh, good choice.” Harley smiles right along with her. “So… did ya kiss him?”

The bluenette looked down to her shoes and blushed. “Maybe…”

“No. She 100 percent did.” Tikki piped up.

“Aww, so cute!” Harley looked over at Ivy. “Do you remember our first kiss?”

“At your surprise birthday party.” Ivy nods in remembrance. “Of course I do.”

“Well I’m going to go buy the aquarium tickets before he has the chance.” Marinette skipped off to her room. “I’ll see you in the morning! Love you!”

“Love you too.” Harley and Ivy said in unison.

Once the door was closed both the women looked back to each other.

“Mari looks so happy.” Harley cooed. “I really hope this works out in the long run.”

“I think it will.” Tikki speaks up before Ivy can. “You should have seen it. I’ve never seen so much chemistry between two people before. It’s like they move in synchronization. Their harmony is beautiful.” Tikki sighed. “It’s quite a struggle for her to not completely open up to him. I can tell she wants to but she is going to wait and I have the feeling that he’s doing the same. They are taking this one step at a time even though they both want to dive in head first so badly.”

“Well I think it’s a good idea for them to take their time.” Ivy says. “They are young. They’ve got plenty of time ahead of them.”

“And that’s why you’re the wise one, babe.” Harley wraps her arm around the red head. “I was the kind of idiot who jumped in head first without looking.”

“Yes.” Ivy laughs. “You’re right.” She leans down to kiss her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided that I wont do Marinette's POV just yet and I'll probably go back to Damian's just after this chapter. I figured it's about time you got a little backstory on what happened to Marinette and how she ended up here. I didn't go into too much detail but you now know more than you once did.
> 
> I have to say that I was surprised how split it was in the comments about whether or not to change up the POV. I figured that this was a good middle ground. For those of you who love the Damian POV it will be back next chapter.


	21. Chapter 21

Damian had just gotten out of the shower when he heard his phone start to ring. He quickly threw on some shorts and went to his phone to see that is was a FaceTime call from Marinette. He couldn’t help but to smile as he answered it.

“Hello, Angel.” He said once he saw her face come onto the screen.

She looked as though she had just taken a shower as well—her hair was still damp and she was wearing a simple pink tank top.

“Hey, Damian.” She looked at her phone a little closer and then began to blush. “Are… are you not wearing a shirt?”

“No.” He shrugged. “I just got out of the shower. Why, what’s up?”

“Oh, uh…” She seemed to struggle to find her words for a moment. “I just wanted to see your face again. Oh, and I also wanted to let you know that I already bought our tickets for the aquarium.”

“Angel.” Damian lightly shook his head. “I could have…”

“Nope.” Marinette cut him off. “I know we joked about you spoiling me but I’m setting up this date this time. I just wanted to give you a heads up so you didn’t try to pay for it.”

“Alright.” He smiled sweetly at her. “I guess I should be thanking you for your generosity.”

“Says the guy who took me out on his private boat.” She giggled.

“Well technically it’s my father’s boat.”

“Oh, right. How could I forget?” She spoke sarcastically before suddenly remembering something. “Were you about to go to bed? I’m not keeping you up, am I?”

“Well I was but I’d much rather stay up and talk to you if you’d like.”

“Of course I would.” She smiled brightly again. “By the way, was your family waiting for you to get home like my aunts were?”

“Yes.” Damian sighed. “Everyone—even my own father—was waiting at the door for me. They want you to come over more often.”

“I’d be happy to. Your family is nice and tons of fun.”

“Don’t tell them that. They might never let you leave.” He said sarcastically.  
\---------  
Damian didn’t really want to wake up when Alfred came around in the morning to wake him for breakfast. He had probably only gotten an hour of sleep. He stayed up long after he should, just talking to Marinette over FaceTime. He could have talked to her forever but she had fallen asleep. He couldn’t blame her though. It was the early morning hours and they both should have been asleep long before.

He pulled himself out of bed and got ready at a slower pace than usual. In all honesty though, he had survived on less sleep. His usual nighttime activities made sure of that.

By the time he had made it to breakfast, everyone was already seated and eating their food. He quietly sat down and made his plate—ignoring all the stares looking his way. He’d hoped that they would lose interest. They wouldn’t though, of course.

“You look tired baby bird. Did you have trouble sleeping?” Dick asked.

“No, I slept fine. It was only brief though.” Damian replied quickly.

“And why is that?” Tim asked curiously.

“Angel FaceTimed me and we stayed up to talk for the majority of the early morning.” Damian said. He hoped that being blunt and answering their questions would be the quickest route for them to lose interest. They had seemed to pry even more when he chose not to answer.

“You’ve got it bad, don’t you?” Stephanie asked with a smirk.

“What?” Damian looked truly confused.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Stephanie waved the thought away before looking over at Tim. “You want to tell him, babe?”

“Tell me what?” Damian looked over at Tim as well.

“Well Bruce and I were talking and we thought about lending a helping hand out to Harley and Ivy.”

Damian then glanced over at his father who only watched their conversation with an unreadable expression. “What do you mean?” He asked.

“Our lawyers.” Tim replied. “They could help them gain custody over Marinette. They could build a solid and hard to dispute case. One where even if her biological parents fought to keep custody, they would need a good defense of their own, which would be hard to do. They already gave her up once and also, we set the court date for two weeks from now in Paris. It would be hard for them to build a case on such a short time frame. That is, of course, if they want to.”

Damian had a look of honest surprise. “You would… do that for her?”

“Of course we would, son.” Bruce nodded. “Besides, it’s the right thing to do. This girl deserves some peace of mind.”

“We were thinking of keeping this a surprise from Marinette though. If Harley and Ivy accept then it should be something they discuss with her.” Tim added.

“When are you going to talk to them?” Damian asked. “Two weeks isn’t far off.”

“We’ll have Dick give them a call later today.” Tim said.

Damian couldn’t help but to think about all the different possibilities. He knew how badly she wanted to cut ties with her parents but it made him wonder how her parents would react to it all. After all, not even Marinette knew if they would put up a fight for her or not. And which outcome would make Marinette more sad?

It was a double edged sword. He knew she wanted nothing to do with her parents or Paris but in order for that to happen she would no doubt have to go back one last time to make their case. Would she want that? He had no way of knowing but he trusted her to make her own decision.

And then on the other side he knew there would always be a what if if she told her aunts she didn’t want to put up a fight but then for some reason he knew that his Angel wasn’t one to back down from any fight. In the end, he knew deep down that she would probably see this through, even if it did hurt her. She was that stubborn—that strong. It was admirable.

“What are you thinking about, Demon Spawn?” Jason asked, effectively pulling him out of his thoughts.

“It’s just… no matter what the outcome will be; this will hurt Marinette in some way. If her parents give her up willingly or if they fight for her… Going back to Paris and being in that place again… But I know she will see this through. There’s not a doubt in my mind.”

“Well that’s why she’ll need you.” Barbara said. “Nobody said that this will be a walk in the park. That’s why we wanted to run this by you. Not only will she need her aunt’s support but she’ll also need yours. We’ll let you go to Paris with her if they decide to go. One of us will take you.”

“Really?” Damian was surprised again. “Thank you.”

“But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.” Bruce spoke up. “One step at a time. We’ll first need to know what Harley and Ivy says.”  
\---------  
Damian waited around a little past noon to hear what Dick had to say about his conversation with Harley and Ivy. He was curious as to what the women would say.

Dick was happily chatting on the phone with the women but with observing him it led to no real information. Damian hated that his impatience was getting the better of him.

And then finally, after fifteen minutes of talking on the phone, Dick finally hung up.

“Well?” Damian asked soon as Dick’s phone was back in his pocket.

“Harley seemed excited.” Dick shrugged with a grin. “They said they would talk to her about it tonight. They seemed super thankful about it all though. Now we just wait for Marinette’s answer. It’s all up to her now, Little D.” Dick patted him on the back before walking off.

Damian decided to leave it at that and he made his way down to the training room to distract himself. Besides, he had nothing better to do and his father would be proud that he decided to get a head start in training tonight.

He was ten minutes into his warm up exercises when he caught sight of someone entering the room. It was Cassandra. She smiled warmly at him before going to stand across from him to do warm ups as well. 

Damian tried to ignore her but he could feel her prying eyes on him as they warmed up. She always seemed to know when there was something on his mind.

He took a deep breath before looking over at her. “I hate it when you do that.”

Cassandra only smiled in return.

He decides to vent to her anyways. “It’s frustrating me that I’m not able to ask Marinette how she feels about all of this yet. I want to know that she will be okay with all of this. I know this will be hard for her.”

Cassandra nods in understanding, encouraging him to continue.

“Is it stupid for me to feel this involved?”

She shakes her head no before walking up to him and lightly pointing to his heart and smiling again.

He wondered if this was another follow your heart moment or if she was telling him something more. He sighed a little bit in frustration.

Cassandra thumped him on the forehead before suddenly making a love heart shape with her hands and then point to his heart again.

“That was unnecessary.” Damian rubbed his forehead for a moment.

But then he started to think about what she was doing. Was she telling him that he’s over thinking all of this? He probably was. But then she made a heart shape with her hands and pointed back to his own heart. And then it hit him.

“Wait… do you think I love her?” He whispered.

She sighed before smirking up at him and raising an eyebrow as if to ask if that was what he thought.

“But… I don’t know. What is it like to love someone in that way?”

“That’s a good question, Demon Spawn.” Jason said.

Damian spun around to see Jason leaning against the doorway of the training room. Before Damian could say anything, Jason continued.

“Ask yourself this; how do you see your future playing out? Is Marinette a part of the picture?”

“Yes.” Damian answered without hesitation. A future without his Angel was unthinkable now that she has entered his life. Where would he ever find this sort of happiness again?

“Okay.” Jason smirked as he pushed himself off the wall to make his way closer to the two of them. “Do you care for her?”

“Yes.” He would always care for her.

“Would you want to change something about her?”

“No!” Damian felt appalled by the question. She’s perfect the way she is.

Jason laughs before continuing. “Are you yourself when she’s around?”

“Yes.” He had never felt freer and more himself when she’s with him.

“Would you put her happiness before your own?”

“Yes.” He whispered softly. He knew he wouldn’t hesitate. She was more important than his happiness. Hers was what mattered.

“Well?” Jason raised an eyebrow at him. “What does love mean to you?”

“I…” Damian hesitated.

“Just think about it.” Jason said before looking over to Cassandra. “How about a 2v1 spar? Me and Demon Spawn against you, Cass? You think you got what it takes?”

Cassandra grinned before nodding brightly at them.

“Let’s let Demon Spawn finish his warm up first.” Jason chuckled. “That way he has time to get his head in the game.” He said as he lightly patted Damian’s back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. I was a little bit busy with my family this weekend.


	22. Chapter 22

Damian was exhausted. He had literally trained for three hours, went to have dinner with his family, and then immediately went back to training for another three hours. Nobody could deny his motivation. He still didn’t enjoy the looks his family was throwing his way though. They seemed unavoidable these days.

Just like the night before, as soon as he got out of the shower he had gotten a FaceTime call from Marinette. He hadn’t seen her all day and so he happily answered the call without a second thought, his exhaustion leaving his mind all together.

“Hello, Angel.” He smiled before suddenly seeing her expression and frowning. She was noticeably worried and looked a little distraught. He didn’t like seeing her this way. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” She gave him a rather forced smile. “But I’m sure since your brother was the one to tell my aunts that means you probably already know.”

“Angel, if you don’t…”

“You don’t really think I would turn this opportunity down, would you?” She cut him off before he could finish. “I’m thankful but… I’ve just been freaking out all day knowing that I will have to go back there, you know? Talk about anxiety…”

“Are you okay?” Damian asked with genuine concern.

“I’m fine, Damian. My aunts will be there with me and that will at least be a little bit comforting.” She finally genuinely smiled. “Sorry I just called you looking all upset. I just wanted to see your face again. I knew that would make me feel better.”

“It’s okay, Angel. I’ll always be here if you need me.” He smiled down at her face on his phone. “By the way, my father said he would allow me to go with you to Paris if you want me to. We all knew this would be tough for you and they all though that the more support you had, the better.”

The way her entire face lit up made Damian’s heart sing. “Really!? You mean that!?” She looked as though she sat up in her bed in excitement. “You’ll go to Paris with me?”

“Only if you want me to.” He couldn’t help but to mirror her enthusiasm.

“Of course I want you too.” She beamed. “Oh, you just made this a thousand times more bearable. What would I do without you?”

“I’m not sure, Angel.” Damian grinned. “Probably make friends with someone else at GA. And how lucky would they be?”

“Oh, so you think you’re lucky just to know me?” She giggled.

“Without a doubt, Angel.”

“Well I think I’m the lucky one here. I mean, look at what you and your family has done for me. And I looked up the names of the lawyers you sent my case to… They’re no joke. It’s like ten grand just for them to take a look at a case and not even accept it. I don’t even want to think about how much your father has paid for this.”

“They are my family’s personal lawyers. Father has them on his payroll and so we aren’t paying them anymore than we already do. They’re just doing their jobs.”

“Wow.” Marinette giggled. “Remind me to thank your dad the next time I see him.”

“Will do, Angel.” And then Marinette yawned.

“Sorry.” She smiled awkwardly.

Damian glanced at the clock at saw that it was creeping closer to midnight. “We should probably get to bed. We have school in the morning.”

“You’re right.” The bluenette nodded. “I’ll see you in the morning then.”

“Goodnight, Angel.”

“Goodnight, Damian.”  
\---------  
Damian pulled into the school parking lot and quickly made his way to the front doors only to see Marinette was already there waiting for him. It was strange to him how instant the world suddenly brightened just by being near her.

“Good morning, Damian!” She said cheerfully as she skipped up to him to quickly take hold of his hand.

“Good morning my Angel.” He smiled down at her bright face. “You seem to be in a good mood today. Did something happen?”

“No, nothing happened that you don’t already know about.” She giggled as they walked through the schools front doors. “I think it might just be you who puts me in a good mood. How am I supposed to be mad or upset when I see you smile at me like that?”

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking that?” Damian grinned as he held their joined hands up to kiss the back of her hand. “Your smile is like magic. My friend Jon would call it my kryptonite. Don’t tell him I said that though. He’s been searching for my kryptonite for a very long time.”

“Kryptonite?” Marinette laughed. “You mean that stuff that’s Superman’s weakness?”

“The very same.” He laughed along with her.

“All this power that I didn’t know I wielded… You better count yourself lucky that I won’t abuse it.” She joked.

“Abuse it all you’d like.” Damian jokes right back. “There is nothing I could do to stop you.”

“Hmm… Very tempting.” She smirked as they stopped at Marinette’s classroom door. “But I’ll resist.” She beamed up at him.

“Your mercy is appreciated, my Angel.” He looked over at her classroom door and sighed.

“Hey.” Marinette reached up and grabbed Damian’s cheek. “I’ll see you at lunch, okay?”

Damian looked down at her sweet smile and couldn’t help but to smile back just as sweetly. “Okay.” He whispered.

“See you soon.” She reached up on her tippy toes to give him a short, sweet kiss in which he happily returned.

Surprised gasps could be heard from all around them and they both looked up to see the hallway traffic come to a standstill. Everyone was looking at them with wide eyes. Damian was suddenly thankful that they showed up to school earlier than most. This would have been far more infuriating if the halls were crowded.

“Oh!” Marinette squeaked in embarrassment and Damian looked down to see the heavy blush on her face. “Well…” She giggled nervously. 

Damian decided to give her the quickest opportunity to leave. “I’ll see you soon, Angel.” He said as he opened her classroom door for her.

“Yep!” She waved to him. “Bye Damian.” She raced inside.

Damian smiled to himself at her quick retreat. Her being flustered was quite possibly one of the most adorable things he has seen and he had to stop himself from laughing as he walked away. There were already way too many people in the hallways and laughing would only bring more attention to him.

Damian’s first period class was relatively normal, all things considered. It wasn’t until the bell rang and he was making his way to his second class when he noticed a change. Word seemed to have traveled fast and he could hear the whispers of curious and nosy students as he passed by.

“I heard he kissed Marinette.”

“The really cute French girl? No way!”

“Life’s unfair, man. He has the money, the fame, the good looks and a cute girlfriend?! How come he gets to have it all?”

The word girlfriend stuck in his mind as he passed these gossiping students by. Was that what she was to him? Was he her boyfriend? They had only gone on one date but on the other hand, they had kissed multiple times. Damian had no expertise in this topic. Was it always this complicated early in any romantic relationship? 

And then when he sat down for his second class of the day, a handful of students walked up to his desk, each of them looking a bit nervous to be there. Everyone else in the room was quiet and looking over at him as well.

“Uh, hey Damian?” The boy at the front of the group spoke with a shaky voice. Damian only glared. “Are- are you, uh you know, dating that girl Marinette?” 

Damian had gone on one official date with her but he wasn’t about to tell these nosy heathens anything so he only glared harder at them. Besides, he didn’t want to say anything without clearing all this up with Marinette first.

The kids flinched back at Damian’s stare and immediately scrambled away to their own seats. He felt confident that these kids in this class wouldn’t bother him about this anymore but he wasn’t looking forward to the rest of his classes. He still had two more after this before he would see Marinette again at lunch.

He had counted them. Twenty-three students—usually coming to him in groups because they were too scared to talk to him alone—were how many students came up to ask him similar questions. It frustrated him but it also worried him because no doubt Marinette was being faced with these questions as well and he knew she was too nice to deal with them the way he does. It made him curious how she would answer them.

It was a relief when the bell rang signaling the start of his lunch period. He knew he would be first so he quickly got his lunch and made his way to their table to wait for her. It took her two minutes after entering the cafeteria and getting her lunch before she sat down with him.

“There were twenty-three of them.” Damian said as she sat down beside him.

“So you counted them, huh?” Marinette giggled. “I wasn’t prepared to be bombarded with questions.”

“What did you say to them?”

“What do you think I said to them?”

“I don’t know, Angel.” Damian smiled at her as he took a hold of her hand under the table. “That’s why I’m asking.”

“I’m guessing that I’ve probably told them more than you.” Marinette lightly booped him on the nose.

“If you spoke a single word to them then yes, you’ve said more than me.”

“Yeah, I know.” She smirked. “This girl in my third period class said you scared like half of her second period class without saying a single word.” She giggled. “But anyways, I told them that yes we did kiss and that we also have gone on a date but I didn’t tell them anymore.”

“Hmm.” Damian nods. “But I’m sure they were begging you to tell them more?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Definitely.” She huffed in annoyance. “But even if I did want to tell them more, I didn’t know how to answer most of their questions.”

“I understand what you mean.” He looks down at their joined hands. It was nice to know that Marinette felt the same way. This was a very new relationship and he wanted to do this the right way, whatever that was. He has heard the horror stories of rushing into things like this and he wouldn’t dare do anything to jeopardize his relationship with her. This was far too precious to be so careless.

“You look so cute when you’re thinking about something.” Marinette giggles.

Her sudden complement surprised him and he couldn’t help but to look back at her with a sheepish smile. Who knew being called cute by her would have this effect on him? “I wasn’t trying to be cute.” He answered without thinking.

“Well, no. I suppose you weren’t.” She grinned. “Although I’d love to see what you trying to be cute would look like.”

“Me too.” Damian smiled back. “Because to be honest, I’ve never tried. I’d probably be bad at it.”

“Well I don’t know about that. I know you have tried new things and it turns out you’re actually pretty good at it.”

“What do you mean?” The young billionaire asked in confusion.

“Unless you have been lying to me all this time—which I would personally drown you in the Gotham bay if you did—then I’m pretty sure I was your first kiss and it was really good if I do say so myself.” Marinette grinned.

“Oh.” Damian blushed at the assessment. 

Marinette then burst into laughter. “Oh, you sweet, sweet boy.” She grabbed both sides of his face to look him in the eyes. “You are so cute and adorable, Damian. Never stop being you.”

Damian blushed even deeper but he didn’t really seem to care at the moment. He instead smiled back at her joyous attitude as his heart raced faster than it ever had before. “You got it, Angel.” He took one of her hands and kissed the palm of it.

Now it was her turn to blush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 900 kudos?! How cool is that!? Thank you to everyone whole supports this fic. It's reassuring knowing that there are people out there who like what I write. I'm not sure I would ever continue to do this without each and every one of you, so thank you.


	23. Chapter 23

Lunch had definitely been the highlight of Damian’s day but as soon as Marinette was gone, the annoyance quickly returned. He had given her a short kiss goodbye, which was of course met by shock, and on his way to his next class was when he heard more gossiping from the students as he walked down the halls.

“I wish you would have been in my lunch period.” A student had said. “I couldn’t believe it was actually Damian Wayne. He looked so… so nice.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Another student asked in disbelief.

“No I’m not. I swear. He was smiling and laughing and doing cutsie little couples things with that Marinette girl. He was even blushing.” The student whispered the last part.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m 100% positive. If I would have known that the Ice Prince could act that way I would have tried to go out with him a long time ago. I was kind of jealous of the way he looked at her. It made me want to be in her shoes.”

“I still think you’re messing with me. I just can’t picture it.”

And then the students turned the corner away from where Damian was heading. The whole conversation was strange and new to him. He had his fair share of strangers coming up to him and trying to flirt with him but it obviously never worked out in their favor. The students at his school though, that was a different story.

They had already knew enough about him to not even try something like that so when a student had said that they wished they were in Marinette’s shoes… Well he was baffled. He knew these girls wanted nothing to do with him before now. And now these girls were jealous? It was a strange 180.

He decided to think about all of this later as he sat down in his seat and got ready for his next class. Like the many classes before this, a hand full of students found their way to him and just like those classes before; he had to scare them back to their own seats. Why was it that high school students couldn’t mind their own business? It was infuriating to him.

The lecture was a pleasant distraction though. It kept his mind focused on one subject and he found that a bit soothing. Marinette though, she had never left his thoughts no matter what he was doing. A small part of his mind was always wondering what she was going or how she was feeling or if she was even thinking of him too. He began to wonder if it was stupid to always have her on his mind but then he decided that it wasn’t because thoughts of her always put him at ease. She brought out the best in him even if she wasn’t there with him at the moment.

And before he had even realized it, he was already back in gym. As he went to go take a seat on the bleachers, he gathered from the other students that they were doing partnered exercises today. The majority of the students seemed to not really enjoy this fact but Damian didn’t mind. The school’s gym exercises were simple and easy enough.

Damian smiled brightly when he saw Marinette enter the gym. It should be a crime to have someone look at him the way she does. It’s like she has blinders on—she looks at no one or nothing else as she makes her way towards him. It made him feel ridiculously special, which was stupid. She was the special one.

“Last class of the day.” She said cheerfully as she sat down next to him and quickly took his hand. “Did you have any more people bother you with their questions about us?”

“A few.” He nods. “What about you?”

“Yeah I had a few too. I even had a few girls ask me some… very personal and awkward questions.”

“What do you mean?”

“Repeating them would just make it that much more awkward, Damian.” Marinette giggled nervously. “So, uhh… let’s not do that.”

Damian was confused but decided to take her word on it. “Okay, Angel.”

Before either of them could speak again, a student walked up to them and they both looked over to see that it was Chad. The gym suddenly went eerily quiet as everyone else turned their attention to the trio.

“Hello, Chad.” Marinette forced herself to smile to the boy as she tightened her grip on Damian’s hand. “Can I help you with something?”

“No, actually.” Chad’s voice shook as he turned to Damian. “I wanted to talk to you.”

Damian glared at him harder and felt satisfied when he flinched back a tiny bit. Chad held his ground though and it irritated him slightly. Hadn’t he already called his Angel crazy? What more could he say? 

“Speak.” Damian ordered. The sudden sound of his booming voice made Chad take a step back and a few people watching from around the room flinched back at the sound.

“W-well I’m just letting you know that one day Marinette will get bored of your money and will find out that she’s… that she’s better off without you and when you slip up… I’ll—I’ll be there for her.” Chad stood up straighter as he spoke the last part.

Damian stood up so he could look down at Chad and Marinette automatically stood up with him. He took one step closer to the irritating student and he took an automatic step back, afraid of the sudden closeness.

“How DARE you disrespect Marinette like that! If you think for one moment that my Angel is the kind of girl driven by money, then you are sorely mistaken! She is truly a good and wonderful person that nobody in this city will ever be worthy of, including myself, but especially not you. I’ll save you the embarrassment of a fourth rejection and tell you now that you will never have a chance, and do you want to know why? It’s because you’re the kind of pathetic person who can’t take no for an answer. Your ego is so fragile that now you are inserting yourself into our relationship when it’s completely uncalled for and unnecessary—just out of the hopes that you’ll catch her attention. You are a pathetic child and a disgrace to everyone around you.”

As Damian finished his rant he watched as at first shock flashed in Chad’s eyes before his expression quickly changed to anger. He saw it coming long before Chad even lifted his arm to swing and so he was quick to bring Marinette behind him and out of harm’s way before Damian easily countered Chad’s blow and hit him with a solid flat palmed push to the center of his chest, which winded him and caused him to fall flat on his back.

Damian never moved an inch as he waited for Chad to get back to his feet. He felt Marinette look over his shoulder at the student on the floor but she stayed behind him as this all unfolded. It took Chad a solid fifteen second to get back to his feet but the anger in his eye still hadn’t faded so Damian knew he wasn’t done making a fool of himself. He huffed once in anger and began to run straight for the young billionaire.

Damian reached behind him and grabbed Marinette by her waist, pulling them both a bit to the left as he stuck his foot out, causing Chad to trip and fall face first onto the bleachers behind them with a loud and solid thump. The impact must have knocked him out because he didn’t seem to be getting back up. That was when Damian turned around to face Marinette.

“Are you okay, Angel?” He asked with genuine concern.

“Oh, uhh.” She looked down at Chad and then back up to Damian. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She gave him a soft smile.

And then the gym irrupted in cheers. That was when Damian became more aware of his surroundings and he looked for the teacher who would no doubt be coming to calm the situation down, only Coach was nowhere to be seen.

“I can’t believe Chad said that.” Marinette said over the cheering and the sudden sound of the bell ringing, signaling the start of class.

“He had no right to speak about you that way.” Damian shook his head at the boy passed out on the bleachers.

“I haven’t had someone stand up for me like that in a long time.” Marinette grinned at him before suddenly giving him a big hug. “Thank you, Damian.”

Damian hugged her back as he stroked her soft hair. “It was only the right thing to do.” He spoke softly to her.

Then suddenly a loud whistle blew, meaning that the coach had finally entered the gym. Marinette and Damian broke apart to look over at him.

“I leave you alone for two minutes and you act like this?” Coach asks before catching sight of Chad who is still passed out. “What happened to him?” He asks as he steps closer to him.

“Chad tried to start a fight with Damian!” A student had shouted.

Coach raised an eyebrow at Damian as he walked over to Chad to flip him over, only to see blood pouring out of his nose. It looks as though he broke it when he hit his face on the bleachers. The coach sighed deeply in frustration before looking over at Damian.

“Why was he trying to start a fight with you?”

Damian was about to answer but another student spoke up before he could.

“Chad basically called Marinette a gold digger!”

“Yeah and Damian defended her.” Another student added on.

Coach pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath before speaking again. “Who started it and who threw the first punch?” He asked to no one in particular.

The majority of the class all answered “Chad.”

“Okay, well…” Coach shook his head. “Can I get some volunteers to take Chad to the nurse’s office?”

A couple of boys, probably Chad’s friends, all volunteered to help. As soon as they were out of the room, Coach turned back to the class.

“Just… Everyone please find a partner and make your way to the center of the room in one long line and face each other. We’re going to start with sit-ups.” He sighed, clearly wanting to get everything back on track. “One person holds the others feet and we’ll go for ten minutes and then we’ll switch.”

Marinette grinned as she took Damian’s hand before making their way to the center of the room. They waited for Coach to signal for everyone to start and Marinette began her sit-ups first.

Damian smiled at how easy the sit-ups seemed to be for Marinette. She even began to talk as she did her ten minutes.

“Do you think you’ll get in trouble?” Marinette asked.

“I doubt it.” Damian grinned. “But I’m sure my father will be getting a call as soon as school is over.”

It was quiet for a little bit before Marinette spoke again. “I think you’ve made an enemy out of Chad.”

“I can handle him.”

“Clearly.” Marinette giggled. “Maybe he’s a masochist. I mean, I already made him bleed once and just now he was practically asking for you to break his nose. I thought we finished this last week?”

“He’s got too much pride is what it is.” Damian rolled his eyes. “He couldn’t take the embarrassment of me pushing him down the first time and so he got up to try again. He’s not much of a fighter though.”

“He does have terrible form.” She chuckled. “I hope your dad won’t get mad at you for that.”

“He won’t. Especially if I explain the situation.”

And then the whistle went off letting them know it was time to switch. Once everyone was ready, the whistle went off again letting them know to start their ten minutes. Marinette eventually spoke up again.

“You know… I think that you are worthy.”

“What?” Damian asked.

“You said that no one in this city was worthy of me but I think you are.”

Damian smiled at the faith she had in him but he knew that no matter what he did to make up for his past deeds, he would never be good enough. That didn’t mean that he wouldn’t try though. “It makes me happy that you think so Angel, but I think you’re wrong. I could work for it for the rest of my life and I still would never be worthy.”

“I’m going to happily disagree with you.” She smiled brightly at him. “Anyone who can make me feel the way I do with you is more than worthy in my book.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if this chapter isn't the best. I may or may not have come straight from a party after writing this... My bad. I'll fix my mistakes in the morning. XD


	24. Chapter 24

Damian had just made it out of the schools front doors with Marinette when he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out to look at it only to see that it was an abundance of twitter notifications, which immediately alarmed him. His twitter only blew up when the media caught wind of something he or his family did and most of the time this caused some sort of inconvenience. People loved to talk.

“What is it?” Marinette asked from beside him.

“Something is happening on twitter.” Damian said as he pulled up twitter on his phone.

Damian frowned when he saw that he had been tagged in some sort of video. It had only been up for maybe thirty minutes but it already had half a million views. He pressed play and saw that it was a video of the fight he had earlier with Chad. Someone in gym caught the whole thing on camera, starting from the moment Chad walked up to him and Marinette.

Damian watched as his past self ordered him to speak and that sudden sound made whoever was behind the camera jump. Chad looked truly pathetic as he made his little spiel to him about Marinette and he watched as his past self made his rebuttal.

What Damian hadn’t noticed before but he could now clearly see from the video was Marinette’s reaction to it all. At first Marinette looked angry at Chad’s words but as soon as Damian had stood up for her, she looked over at him in awed surprise. This look never went away until Damian suddenly pulled her behind him to protect her from Chad’s assault.

Damian almost wanted to laugh at how pathetic Chad looked during the fight. His face was beet red from the anger and the embarrassment. The moment he got back up and ran for him was almost comical. It was so easy for Damian to bring himself and Marinette out of the way and just simply trip him up. It looked effortless and in all honesty, it was effortless for him. Damian could have done that blindfolded.

And then Damian’s past self finally looked back to Marinette to ask if she was okay and she agreed that she was—if not a little bit shocked by it all. That was when the room irrupted in cheers and their conversation could no longer be heard. The video then showed the two embracing and moments later the sound of a whistle cut through the cheering and the video then finally ends.

“Wow.” Marinette looks up to Damian. He hadn’t realized she was watching the video with him. “Is that going to be bad for you?”

“I wouldn’t say it’s going to be bad.” Damian put his phone away. “This isn’t the worst possible video to be spread around, although I would rather no videos be spread around at all. I’m sorry you have to be dragged into this.”

“What do you mean?”

“This video puts you in the spotlight, Angel.” He frowns down at her. “People will want to learn more about you. You’ll turn some heads. I don’t want false or bad information spreading about you because of me.”

“You’re worried about that?” Marinette giggles. “Damian, you’re the son of a super famous billionaire. I knew what I was getting into. Plus, have you seen my aunts? People stare at me when I’m around town anyways. Now they will just have a different reason to stare.”

Damian lightly shook his head before smiling at her. “But people will try to talk to you to get to me. It’s the same with Stephanie and Barbara. I never wanted you to deal with that. At least not yet.”

“Don’t think I can handle it?” She smirked up at him.

“No. I know you can handle anything thrown your way.” He lightly takes ahold of her chin to tilt her face up so he can look her in the eyes better. “But that doesn’t mean I want to put you in those situations anyways, Angel. My way of life can be a bit hectic and I’m not going to drag you with me throughout it all if I have the choice not to.”

“Damian.” She sighs before smiling at him. “You’re very sweet and I appreciate that very much but I know what I’m getting myself into. I’ve told you before that I know what I want and I have my priorities straight. The media and the paparazzi… They won’t bother me. In fact, nothing seems to bother me with you around.”

Damian smiles brightly at that. “I will never understand what I did to have you in my life. How is it that one person could be so perfect?”

“Oh, please.” Marinette rolls her eyes. “You’re going to give me a complex.”

“I doubt it. You’re too good for that.” He grabs her waist to pull her close leans down to give her a soft kiss.

And then they are broken apart by the sound of a horn honking. They look over to see that it was Harley in her red convertible. Even more than that, she had her phone out like she had just taken a picture.

“Come on, Sweetheart! You can lock lips with the Wayne boy some other time.” Harley laughs at Marinette’s embarrassed expression.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Angel.” Damian grins down at her embarrassed face as well. “Call me if you need anything.”

“I will.” She gives him a short hug goodbye. “See you later, Damian.”

“Goodbye, my Angel.”

Damian waits until the red convertible is out of sight before he makes his way over to his own car.  
\---------  
When Damian got home he knew he had to avoid his family. Without a doubt they all would have already seen the video circling the internet and he wanted to hold off that conversation for as long as possible. When he walked through the front door and was greeted by Alfred like always, he made the excuse that he had homework to do and made sure to avoid everyone else as he made it to his room.

The homework distraction didn’t last for long though and so he decided to take the time to go on twitter to see what people were saying. Damian didn’t expect to see the sort of comments he saw.

The hashtags #CancelChad and #IcePrince were trending along with #SunshineOfGotham. He had to look into it more and soon enough he found out that that was the name the people of Gotham had chosen for Marinette.

People were saying that only the purest of sunshine could thaw the Ice Prince’s heart and so the name quickly caught on. She had somehow quickly become very beloved by the people of twitter and at the same time, the reputation of Damian had shifted more to the side of chivalrous instead of icy and cold. This was the first time that twitter had ever helped his image. He didn’t know how to feel.

Would this make him more approachable in the eyes of the media? He hoped not. At least they were saying good things about his Angel. She didn’t need any more harsh words like the kind she got back in Paris. Damian only hoped that the media wouldn’t bother her too much. She said that she can handle anything thrown her way and Damian knew this to be true but sometimes the media was ruthless. They would look for any juicy story they could get their hands on.

And then a post on twitter caught his attention. It was a picture posted by Harley Quinn and was retweeted by Ivy, Dick, Tim, Jason, Stephanie, and Barbara. Damian knew this wasn’t a coincidence. They planned this and knew exactly what they were doing. The world would know what this meant. The rogues and the Wayne’s protected this girl. She was loved by both sides and therefore protected by both sides. It would be scandalous for anyone to paint her in a bad lighting now. Damian only wished the picture wasn’t of them kissing on the school’s front steps.

The picture was nice though, he had to admit. The way he gently held her chin with one hand and the other held her waist as they kissed made it all look very romantic. She was even on her tippy toes, making their height difference very noticeable. She looked so sweet, so petite, and so beautiful. The people in the comments were raging over it and yet again, girls were talking of their jealousy of her.

Damian didn’t know if he was thankful for the unity of the protection of this girl or upset that his family went ahead and did this without telling him first. He was about to text his Angel about this when he suddenly got a FaceTime call from her. He quickly answered.

“I hope you’re not mad.” She looked at him with worry.

Her expression confused him. Why would he be mad? “I was just about to text you the same thing, Angel. Our families made a great declaration for us on twitter.”

“I know. Aunt Harley and Dick were talking about doing all of this a little bit ago when they were on the phone. They asked if I was okay with it and I told them I didn’t mind but I didn’t realize they weren’t going to ask you first. I’m so sorry.” She said honestly. “If I would have known I would have talked to you first before sitting down to do my homework.”

Damian sighed in relief. “Don’t be sorry, Angel. They did you a great service today and I’m happy that they talked it over with you first. I was afraid they jumped into this without warning you but with that video going around, this was a good way to keep you out of bad publicity. People won’t send baseless accusations your way knowing that both the rogues and my family are on your side. That would be a death sentence.”

“Yeah but they did it without warning you.” She frowned. “You should have been told, Damian.”

“I’m not surprised.” Damian chuckled. “If they already got your approval then they knew I would be okay with it. I’m relived actually. That wouldn’t have been the picture I would have chosen but the point was still made.”

“What’s wrong with that picture?” Marinette smirked. “I like it.”

“I like the picture too, Angel.” Damian smiled. “But a less intimate picture would have worked.”

“Dick said that that picture made the point even stronger. He said that it showed that both sides are okay in supporting our ‘romantic relationship’.” She used her fingers to make air quotes.

“I think Grayson is a bit overly involved in our relationship.” Damian scoffs.

“Dick just wants you to be happy, Damian. I think it’s sweet how much your family cares.”

“I suppose you’re right. Although I much prefer Todd’s method of not gossiping about our relationship to the both of our families.”

“I thought you said that Jason was the rebel.” She giggled. “That doesn’t sound like him.”

“I’ve found that Todd isn’t as obnoxious about this as he normally would be.”

“Aww.” Marinette cooed. “Are you bonding with Jason because of me? That’s so sweet!”

“What can I say, Angel? You bring out the best in everyone.”

And then Damian’s conversation was interrupted by a knock at his door.

“Master Damian.” Alfred said through the door. “Master Bruce has just arrived home and he would like to speak with you in the study.”

“I’ll be down in a moment.” Damian called back.

“Sounds like you got to go.” Marinette waved at him through the phone. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Goodbye, Angel.”

Then the call ended. He swiftly put his phone away and made his way to the study. Damian eyed his family as he passed by the living room. No doubt they would try to snoop on this conversation.

As soon as he stepped into the study he found his father sitting at the desk.

“Have a seat, son.” Bruce gestured to one of the chairs across from the desk.

Damian was quick to oblige his fathers’ orders. “You wanted to speak with me, Father?”

“Yes. I’m assuming you’ve already seen what’s happening on social media?”

“Yes.”

“I also got a call from your school a little bit ago. It seems you broke one ‘Chad Mulligan’s’ nose.”

“Father, he broke his own nose acting like a pompous idiot.” Damian scoffed. “He had the chance to walk away.”

“I’m well aware and I told the school that as well. They can’t deny video evidence.” Bruce smiled. “If this would have been a few weeks ago I think you would have gone more offensive with your attack. I’m happy you showed so much restraint. I know you could have hurt him far worse and I think we owe this new found restraint to Marinette. Like I said, she brings out the best in you.”

“Oh.” Damian thought about that for a moment. At the time, his priority was to keep Marinette out of harms’ way. He didn’t really care to go into an all-out attack. His father was right. If it wasn’t for her, he would have beaten him into a coma. That is, if they would have had a reason to fight at all. To be honest, he was only defending his Angel.

“I’m very proud of you, Damian.” Bruce continued to speak. “And what you did for Marinette was truly admirable.”

Damian didn’t know what to say. “I… thank you, Father.”

“You don’t need to thank me.” The billionaire shook his head with a smile. “By the way, how do you feel about the little stunt your brothers and sisters pulled on twitter today?”

“I’m glad they spoke to Marinette first but it would have still been nice to have a heads up myself. That being said, I’m happy she’s getting her support. Angel deserves it.”

“I think that Dick didn’t tell you because you would have disapproved the picture choice.”

Damian scoffed. “I figured it was something like that.”

“Either way, you should be thankful. She is as well protected now as any other member of our family. She even has Harley and Ivy on her side. Arguably, that makes her even better defended than the rest of us.”

“I know.” Damian grins. “That’s why I’ll let the picture slide.”

“Great.” Bruce chuckles before pulling out his phone. “That means I’ll retweet it too.”


	25. Chapter 25

While on his way to dinner, Damian found that Jon was suddenly nonstop texting him. It was apparent in his frequent texts that he had seen what went down on twitter today. He was demanding answers and wanted him to call as soon as possible. He sighed deeply as he entered the dining room and decided he would deal with this after.

“Why the long face, Master Damian?” Alfred asked as soon as everyone was seated.

“It’s Jon. He saw twitter.”

“Jon is your best friend.” Dick spoke up. “And you haven’t told him about Marinette?”

“He’s been busy in Metropolis.” Damian shrugged. “Plus, he asks way too many questions. Besides, he’s very insistent on reaching out to me when he has the time. He would have gotten around to it eventually, trust me.”

“He’s going to want to meet her you know.” Tim said.

“I’m aware. He’ll find his way over here as soon as his father lets him.” Damian shook his head.

“Jon hasn’t been around in over a month.” Bruce spoke up with a smirk, almost like he knew something Damian did not. “It will be nice to have him over.”

“I’m sure he’ll be thrilled.” Damian sighed knowing his father was leaving something out. “I’ll talk to him after dinner.”

“So, Damian.” Stephanie grinned over at him. “That picture that Harley took of you today was honestly very shocking to me. I mean that in a good way, of course.” She smirks. “I didn’t know you had that in you.”

“What is that supposed to mean, Stephanie?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Well,” Barbara spoke up. “It’s one thing to see you hug her and another thing to hear you talk about her but…” She trailed off.

“Who knew Baby Bird could be so suave?” Dick joked. “Is that what you are thinking, Babs?”

“Essentially.” Barbara giggles.

“Suave?” Damian thinks about that for a moment. He guessed that would be a good reason why girls would be jealous of Marinette. Suave was by definition, a person who was charming and confident. Marinette had already called him charming and he knew he was confident enough, so suave wouldn’t be too far off if her assessment was correct. The word was still strange to him.

“Your cluelessness can be very adorable sometimes, little kitten.” Selina smiled sweetly at him. “I almost feel bad for the poor girl. You really have no idea.”

“None of us really had any idea.” Tim laughs. “I’ll admit I didn’t anticipate this at all.”

“What?” Damian looked truly confused by the conversation. “Why would you almost feel bad for her?”

“Because you do so much without even trying.” Stephanie spoke up. “And we haven’t even seen what you two are really like by yourselves. You might just give sweet little Marinette heart problems. I can see it in her face and I think you truly have no idea what you can do to her sometimes.”

Damian thinks back to the multiple times Marinette joked about Damian trying to kill her with complements and how her heart might leap out of her chest. Is that what they were getting at? But the thing was, Marinette also made his heart go wild all the time. He thought that she would never realize what she does to him. It must be a two-way street, he realized. But was he laying it on too thick?

“But that’s a good thing, Demon Spawn.” Jason smirked at Damian’s worried expression. “You’ve always been the little shit to always get your point across in the bluntest possible way. This apparently is no different.”

That’s when half the table burst into laughter at Jason’s comment and though he made a jab at Damian, he was thankful for the clarification, so instead of yelling or even glaring at him, he slightly smiled at Jason.

“Language, Jason.” Bruce scolds, although his tone made it sound like he really wasn’t too upset about it. He instead seemed pleased by his son’s interaction.

“Sorry Bruce.” Jason says as he smiles back at Damian.

“Oh, but that video going around twitter.” Barbara raises an eyebrow at Damian. “You really taught that Chad guy a lesson.”

“Yeah. You really did wipe the floor with Chad.” Jason laughed. “He fought like a limp noodle.”

“I barely did anything.” Damian shrugged.

“Exactly.” Stephanie said cheerfully. “You put in so little effort that it actually made you look cool. And you defending Marinette was the cherry on top.”

“It was the ‘She is truly a good and wonderful person that nobody in this city will ever be worthy of, including myself, but especially not you.’ That really got me.” Tim imitated Damian as he quoted what he had said. “That right there threw me for a loop. Was not expecting that.”

“That was my favorite part, Timmy.” Stephanie grinned. “Wasn’t it cute, Cass?”

Cassandra smiled brightly at Damian with a nod, as if she approved of it all.

Damian sighed in return before going back to eating his food. He just let his family talk about how “chivalrous” and “suave” he was as he ate. In all honesty, he had nothing to rebuttal anyways. Was he supposed to say that he wasn’t those things to his Angel? It would be a blatant lie if he had. He would always be nothing but the best for her if he could help it.  
\---------  
It was shortly after dinner and Damian stared down at his phone contemplating on if he should really call Jon or not. He left 82 texts, each of them urging to FaceTime him or he would literally run from Metropolis to Gotham to get the truth. He had to admit it was tempting to see if he would uphold that promise but he knew better. Jon was just that bull headed sometimes.

After taking a deep breath, he finally pressed the button to start the call. It rang only twice before Jon picked up.

“It’s about time!” Jon said enthusiastically. “What took you so long?”

“I was having dinner with my family.” Damian said flatly, not even fazed by his excitement.

“Oh.” It was quiet for half a beat before Jon spoke up again. “Well are you going to tell me about her? I already saw the video and the picture, which by the way was posted by Harley Quinn. What’s up with that? And you kissed a girl?! What?!”

“One question at a time, Jon.”

“Okay.” He grinned brightly. “Her name is Marinette, right?”

“Yes.”

“But in the video you called her your ‘Angel’?”

“Yes.”

“And you kissed her?”

“Multiple times, yes.” Damian tried not to smile about that but he found it hard to resist.

“Wow.” Jon stared blankly back at the phone for a moment. “I didn’t expect you to be so honest. When did you meet her?”

“She transferred to my school not too long ago. She’s being fostered by Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. That’s why Harley had that picture.”

“Is she your girlfriend?”

“We haven’t put a label on our relationship yet. It’s still new.”

“I’ll say. This came out of nowhere, Damian! Where is she from?”

Damian took another deep breath. “How about I just give you the backstory and then you can ask questions?”

“Okay.” Jon nodded enthusiastically. “Go ahead.”

And so Damian went into detail about where she was from and gave a simplified version if how she ended up here and about the bully who took everyone away from her. Damian told him a little bit about her and how amazing she was at fashion and designing.

He told Jon about the first time they met and seeing her play dodge ball on her first day of school and then about the shock of finding out she lives with Harley and Ivy. He skipped over the part of him not understanding his feelings and talked about inviting her over to his house and then confessing the next day during their unofficial date. Damian then talked about them being kidnapped by Joker and how amazing she was and how that was the day he first asked her out.

He then went on to talk about their real first date and their first kiss. He ended it all by saying they would have their second date this coming up weekend and that the weekend after that was when he would go to Paris with her to go to court against her parents.

Damian hadn’t even realized it but he ended up talking about Marinette for a solid 15 minutes straight. It wasn’t until he came back to reality and looked down at his phone that he realizes what he just did. Jon was sitting there looking at him like a dumbfounded child on Christmas morning.

“Damian, I don’t mean to alarm you but I think you are falling in love with this girl.” Jon laughed before suddenly looking up past his phone. “And my dad agrees.” He smiles back to the camera.

“Your father was listening to me?” Damian now felt a little embarrassed.

“Well he’s in the other room but yes, he heard you. It’s hard for him not to, you know? He and I can both hear miles down the road.” Jon shrugged.

“Thanks for the heads up, Jon.” Damian said sarcastically.

“Well how was I supposed to know that you would suddenly spill your guts to me? I wasn’t expecting this.”

Damian pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Do you have any other questions?”

“Only like a million but most of those questions are for her.” Jon grinned. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

“Jon, she’s a civilian. You have to keep it low profile.”

“I know!” Jon defended. “I know how to be just Jonathan Kent and not Superboy. By the way, have you talked about me to her?”

“She knows about you.”

“What did you tell her?”

“That you are annoying but I tolerate you anyways.”

“Come one! You know you like me.” Jon laughs. “BFF’s and all that, remember?”

Damian ignored that and chose to change the subject. “When is the next time you’re coming over so I know when to expect you?”

“Friday.”

“Friday? This Friday?” Damian had a look of surprise.

“Yeah. Dad said he had some business with Bruce so make sure you invite over Marinette after school. We should be getting there mid-afternoon so I’ll see you at your house.” He grinned.

Damian remembers his fathers’ smirk at dinner and now realizes what it was about. He knew Jon was coming over all along. “Of course.” He sighed. “Will you be staying over?”

“Only for the night. We have to leave Saturday morning.” Jon answered. “Mom doesn’t like being in the house by herself for too long. She would come with but she has work to do and Dad misses enough time as is.”

“Right.” Damian sighed. “I’ll make sure to invite Marinette over on Friday. You better not make me regret that decision.”

“I’ll be good, Damian. Promise.” He smiles brightly to show his point.

“Well if that’s all,” Damian said. “I have patrol soon. I can’t be late.”

“Okay, well if I think of any questions for you I’ll text you and you better text be back. Quit ignoring me.” He looked very serious before smiling again. “Have fun punching bad guys in the face!”

“Yeah, I’ll do that.” Damian smirked. “See you on Friday, Jon.”

“Bye!” And the call finally ended.

Damian then swiftly stood up to make his way down to the cave to suit up. He walked into the cave moments later to see that his father was already there on the bat computer presumably working on a case for drug trafficking. That was the current problem they had in the city at the moment.

“Father, how long did you know that Jon would be coming over?”

Bruce spun around in his chair to smile over at his son. “So you talked to him?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve known since last night.” Bruce then looked back to the computer. “Am I correct in assuming that you will be inviting Marinette over after school on Friday?”

“Yes. Jon seems very excited to meet her.”

“I’m sure he is, son. Why don’t you suit up? Everyone else will be down soon and we just got some new info on the drug trafficking problem down on 75th. We’ll most likely end this tonight.”

“Yes, father.” Damian said with determination. Looks like Jon was right. He would have fun punching bad guys in the face tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Over 1000 kudos? I feel like I can't say thank you enough. I know that I'm repeating myself but thank you again for all of the support. Writing has literally been my rock throughout this crazy year that is 2020.


	26. Chapter 26

Patrol was very eventful. The team intercepted three warehouses, each on different sides of the city, which was filled to the brim with different drugs and narcotics. The commissioner went on to say that this was the biggest drug bust in Gotham’s resent history.

In the past, these were the nights Damian looked forward to the most. The nights with the most action and instant gratification at the end. Today was still up there in terms of gratification but he found that something, or more likely someone, had made their way up further on the list of things he looked forward to the most.

It might have been his selfishness speaking but he wished that somehow he could merge the two together. Sharing the things he loved with her would make it that much better but he quickly pushed back that thought. He knew he had to keep the two worlds separated. As his father would say, it’s just how things are meant to be.

In the end though, he couldn’t fight back the feeling that she would somehow fit into this world. He couldn’t put it into words but she was just so… good. If there was some sort of application process, she would check off every box. Marinette was strong and brave. She had the perfect sense of right and wrong that Damian’s father always wanted everyone to strive for. And above all else, she was selfless.

“Good work, team.” Batman said, cutting off Damian’s train of thought. “That’s it for tonight. Get some rest.” He said as he took his cowl off before walking away.

Damian didn’t even realize that he had completely zoned out during debrief, not that there was much he would have missed. He quickly made his way to change before heading upstairs to shower and go to bed.  
\---------  
School on Tuesday was met with a lot of stares from the people of Gotham Academy; it didn’t matter if they were teachers or students. The chatter was mainly centered around the happenings of what went on in twitter last night, which meant Marinette was the center of attention.

She took it all in stride though and Damian couldn’t help but to be impressed. When they arrived at school in the morning she didn’t even seem to mind the looks heading her way. She even smiled and waved to some of the gawkers, which had them turning around and heading off in the opposite direction, seemingly embarrassed they were caught staring in the first place. At least the hallway didn’t come to a standstill when Damian kissed her goodbye. He assumed the picture on twitter had something to do with their lack of shock. People still stared though.

First period all the way up until lunch moved at a snail’s pace again. This wasn’t a surprise though. He knew it was because he was counting down the minutes until he could see his Angel again.

Damian was always excited to see his Angel approaching his lunch table. Yet again, it was the way she looked at him that made his heart race. He wondered if this feeling would ever go way. He hoped not.

“Hello, my Angel.” He said as she sat down next to him. “How has your day been going?”

“Pretty good.” She smiled up at him. “Nobody really asked me any questions today, so that’s good.”

“Speaking of questions, Jon had quite a few for me last night. He saw twitter too.”

“You didn’t tell your only friend about me?”

“He’s been busy.” Damian shrugged. “He calls me when he has the time. Speaking of which, he’s coming over on Friday and he was very adamant about meeting you. He wants me to invite you around.”

“I’m going to get to meet your best friend!” Marinette said excitedly. “Of course I’m coming around.”

“You’ll probably also meet his father, Clark Kent. He and my father are good friends.”

“Clark Kent?” Marinette’s eyes went wide. “THE Clark Kent? The award winning journalist from the Daily Planet? The one whose wife is Lois Lane, another amazing award winning journalist from the Daily Planet?”

“Yes.” Damian chuckled. “Are you a fan of theirs? I hadn’t realized you knew so much about journalism.”

“Well I wouldn’t say I’m a fan. I know a lot about them though, that’s true. Back when I was friends with Alya, before Lila came around, she talked about them all the time. She looks up to them.”

“Isn’t Alya the one with the blogs filled with false information you were talking about?”

“Yep.” Marinette laughed. “Ironic, isn’t it?”

“Very.” Damian grinned. “So you’ll talk to your aunts about Friday?”

“Absolutely.” The bluenette nods. “You know, I wonder what Jon is like. You say he annoys you but I think a lot of people annoy you.”

“You are very correct about that, Angel.” Damian smirks. “But I will go ahead and apologize now on his behalf. He will grill you with questions. I wouldn’t be able to shut him up even if I tried.”

“Even if you glared at him? I’ve seen that shut people up real fast.” She giggles.

“I wish.” Damian sighed. “I’m pretty sure I could run him over with my car and he still wouldn’t shut up.” He speaks sarcastically, although secretly he’s telling the truth.

Marinette laughs at that. “Well now I really can’t wait to meet him.”  
\---------  
The rest of the week went pretty much the same. School was mostly uneventful. It wasn’t until Thursday that Damian even realized that Chad was gone from Gym. Apparently he was staying home until his nose completely healed. Damian didn’t care though. The less he saw of Chad, the better.

And then Friday rolled around and Damian could see the excitement in Marinette’s eyes. All week she was talking about Friday and Saturday. Her enthusiasm was contagious. For whatever reason, he was happy right along with her because she would get to meet Jon, which was strange. He knew Jon would make this annoying.

“So Jon is already at your house?” Marinette asked as they were leaving the school.

“Yeah, he arrived about an hour ago.” Damian looked down at his phone to see that he had another text from Jon. He replied that he was leaving school now before looking back to Marinette. “You ready to go, Angel?”

“You bet!” The bluenette grabbed ahold of his hand and began to drag him towards the student parking lot.

Damian chuckled at her excitement as he unlocked his car and opened the door for her. They had just pulled out of the school gates when Marinette spoke up again.

“I hope Jon likes me.”

“I will personally throw him into a volcano if he says he doesn’t.” Damian said flatly.

“That’s a little harsh, isn’t it?” She giggled.

“No, I don’t think so.” Damian shrugged.

“See, that’s how I know you two are best friends. Only real best friends would threaten to throw the other into a volcano if they did something they didn’t like.” Marinette reaches over to grab his hand. “You can’t tell me I’m wrong. I know I’m right.”

Damian only smiles over at her. He couldn’t argue.

They drove in comfortable silence to Damian’s house. The young billionaire looked over at her periodically to see her smiling down at their joined hands as she absentmindedly played with his fingers. He didn’t know why but he loved when she did this. She made it a point to say how much she enjoyed holding his hand in the past and she knew he liked it too.

Maybe it was her warmth or her softness, but her playing with his hands always seemed to melt his heart. He would let her do it all the time if it was feasibly possible. Maybe that’s why he drove at a leisurely pace. Rushing home just seemed like a waste, but soon enough, he found himself driving thought the manors gates.

“Oh, we’re here.” Marinette looked up to the large house just as they drove inside the garage.

“Yes we are.” Damian kissed the back of her hand before shutting off the car’s engine. “Shall we?”

“We shall.” She giggled before they both exited the car.

Damian took her hand again before they made their way inside. He knew Jon hear them coming so he wasn’t surprised when he saw him right at the front door with Alfred so he could greet them.

“Welcome home, Master Damian. Welcome back, Miss Marinette.” The butler greets.

“Thank you, Alfred.” The bluenette says cheerfully before looking over to the new face in the room.

“Damian!” Jon smiled brightly as he strutted up to him to give him an over the top bear hug, in which he lifted Damian off the ground by about a foot, causing him to let go of Marinette’s hand before he set him back down. “It’s good to see you.” He stepped back and grinned at Damian’s scowl.

Damian was about to say something back but was cut off by the sound of his Angel’s laughter. His scowl quickly left his face as he looked over at her joyous expression.

“He just picked you up.” Marinette said between laughter. “Your face was so funny, Damian.”

“It was, wasn’t it?” Jon laughed too. “I’m Jonathan by the way but everyone just calls me Jon.” He held his hand out for her to shake.

“Hi, Jon.” She shook his hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too.” Jon continued to smile brightly at the pair.

“Why don’t we head to the living room?” Alfred speaks up as he grins at this interaction. “Everyone is awaiting for us there. Master Bruce, Master Tim and Master Dick should be arriving home shortly.”

“Oh yeah! Let me introduce you to my dad.” Jon says as he gestures for everyone to follow him.

“Sounds great.” Marinette nods.

Damian takes Marinette’s hand again as they all make their way to the living room and he doesn’t miss the look Jon sends his way when he sees this. He knows that it’s a struggle for him to not ask a million questions right now. He must be keeping his cool for his fathers’ sake.

“Hey dad!” Jon says as soon as they enter the living room. “Guess who just got here?”

Clark stands up and Damian watched as Marinette looks up to the towering man in awe.

“So you’re the young lady everyone around here speaks so highly of. Marinette, right?” The man holds his hand out for a handshake. “I’m Clark.”

It takes her a moment but she eventually gives him her signature smile before shaking his hand. “Hello, Clark. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Clark gives her a smile in return.

“See, wasn’t I right, Clark?” Stephanie speaks up. “She’s a joy.”

“Oh.” Marinette looks around to everyone else that was in the room. “Hey everyone.”

Everyone took their turn to say their hellos and even give her welcoming hugs. Eventually, everybody found their way to their own seats.

“Before you got here Marinette, I was telling everyone how good you were at basketball.” Barbara said.

“Good?” Stephanie laughed. “Us girls wiped the floor with the boys. She’s better than good. Right, Cass?”

Cassandra nodded enthusiastically.

“I tried to warn Todd. He didn’t listen.” Damian shook his head.

“How was I supposed to know Pixie-Pop was that good? I mean look how little she is. It makes no sense.”

“Bruce did tell me about that.” Clark nods. “It sounds like it was very impressive.”

“This little kitten has some skill.” Selina smiles over at the girl in question.

“Well I just think that people underestimate me.” Marinette shrugs.

“I didn’t underestimate you Angel and I still lost.” Damian said with a smile.

“Are you sure you weren’t going easy on me?” She smirked up at him, lightly booping him on the nose.

“Did I go easy on you the first time we played a game?” He asked back as a rebuttal while smiling sweetly at her.

“I see your point.” She giggled.

“Wow.” Jon looked between the two of them then back to the rest of the room. “What dimension are we in?”

“I know, right?” Stephanie laughed. “I’ve been thinking the same thing for weeks now.”

“I don’t understand.” Marinette said as she looked up at Damian. “What are they talking about?”

“They are talking about you and Demon Spawn of course.” Jason shook his head. “Jon thinks he’s just stepped into the twilight zone. You are the only person who could get that kind of reaction out of him.”

“Oh, I get it.” Marinette laughs. “They are used to the Ice Prince and not Prince Charming. I can see how that would be weird.”

“Prince Charming?” Jon looked at her in shock before smiling. “If you say so… I—I have so many questions.”

“That will have to wait. Master Bruce along with Master Tim and Master Dick are pulling into the gates now.” Alfred spoke up. “I will greet them before sending them this way.”

“Thank you, Alfred.” Selina says.

And then the butler leaves the room. Moments later he comes back with Tim, Dick and Bruce and Marinette stands up to greet the three of them along with Clark and Jon.

“I see everyone has met Cupcake here.” Dick says after giving her a hug.

“Yeah.” Jason laughs. “Jon has already asked what dimension we are in because of her.”

“You saw the video on twitter, right?” Tim asked. “And you’re still surprised?”

“Seeing it first hand is different I guess.” Jon shrugged.

“Anyways.” Bruce speaks up. “It’s good to see you Marinette.”

“Thank you, Bruce. It’s always good to see you too.”

Bruce smiles at the teen for a moment before going over to Selina for a brief hug and a kiss and then turning back to everyone else. “I’m going to have to take Clark for a moment but we will be back before dinner is ready.” The billionaire then turns to Clark as he stands up.

“Jon, behave.” Clark says before they walk out of the room.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise POV change! Sorry, couldn't help myself.

Marinette waited until Clark and Bruce were out of the room before turning to look back at Jon. For whatever reason, his puppy like nature was refreshing to her. Maybe that was why he was Damian’s best friend. Damian loved dogs and Jon had the demeanor of a happy and playful puppy. She would ask Tikki about this later. She always gave good input in Marinette’s eyes.

“Your dad is really tall.” Marinette eventually spoke what was on her mind when she first saw the towering man. Bruce had been one of the biggest people she had ever seen before him. Together they were a sight to see.

“Yeah.” Jon laughs. “He gets that a lot.” He looks off in the direction his dad went. “And I get it too.”

“How old are you?” Marinette asks.

“14. Damian is three years older than me.”

“What?” The bluenette looked truly surprised. Jon was even bigger than she thought now that she realized his age. “But you’re like 2 inches taller than him. And Damian is tall already.”

Jon chuckles at that and Marinette can’t help but to notice Damian’s frown and smile at it. He didn’t find it as amusing as she did but that made it even funnier. Damian’s pout was adorable to her.

“It’s genetic, I guess.” Jon shrugs. “Mom says the only thing I got from her was her smile and winning personality.” He jokes. “By the way, I’ve been wondering… Damian said you are being taken in by Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. What’s that like?”

“Oh, they are so much fun.” Marinette grinned as she thinks back to the time they had a water gun fight on the rooftop last Sunday. Ivy had said it was a fun way to water the plants and she was right. “They make me smile and laugh all the time. They’re great.”

“You know,” Jon grinned. “The other day when Damian first told me about you he went on a fifteen minute rant about how great you were.”

Marinette smiled at that. She remembered doing the same when she first told her aunts about Damian. At the time, they couldn’t comprehend that she was talking about the Ice Prince. It was touching to know that Damian felt so highly about her that he would spill his guts to his best friend though.

“You did that, Baby Bird?” Dick asked. 

“You need to learn to shut your mouth, Kent.” Damian gave Jon the death glare.

“No.” Marinette chuckled. “What did he say about me? I wanna know.”

“Me too.” Half the room spoke up to agree.

Damian huffed in annoyance but Marinette took his hand knowing full well that he really wasn’t all that annoyed. He looked down at their joined hands and she saw how hard he was trying not to smile at the sight. She squeezed his hand in reassurance before looking back to Jon who was also looking at their joined hands.

“Well,” He said as he looked back to her before pushing his glasses further onto his face. “He got tired of me asking all these questions so he just decided to start from the beginning. It was weird because he never speaks that passionately about anything. At first he just gave me the basics like where you are from and your hobbies. He seems to think you are great and fashion and design. He told me about your dodge ball game and how great you were. He went on to say that you are beautiful and brave and selfless. He even talked about your first date which was super weird to me because it sounded like he was describing a romance movie or something and not a personal experience of his.”

Marinette looked back at Damian and he looked down at her with that same crooked smile he always had when he was embarrassed and blushing. It was one of her favorite smiles because it was rare and she found it to be so charming. It was nice though to hear from someone else how he really felt about her. Marinette was happy that Damian wasn’t keeping his feelings to himself. He was opening up.

“You said all of that, Damian?” Marinette asked.

“Yes.” He nods to her, still blushing.

“I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to this.” Jon shakes his head in disbelief. 

“Yeah, that’s what we are all thinking.” Tim chuckled.

“And you haven’t even been living with him.” Jason added. “Things have been very different around here.”

“I’m sure.” Jon laughed before suddenly stopping with a serious expression.

Marinette looked over to him only to see that he was staring off into the corner of the room. She looked over there only to see nothing of interest and so she looked back and saw Jon already looking back at her. He then tilted his glasses down to look at her from over them and his eyes went wide in surprise.

She then noticed three things all at once. One was the look on everyone else’s faces. They were all almost… worried? Worried about what though, she wasn’t sure.

And then she took notice of where Jon’s eyes darted too and it was hard to keep up—they moved so fast. Marinette noticed him look down at her school bag which was by her feet and then back up to her own face, only… it looked more like he glanced at both of her earrings. That was odd though because her hair was down and they couldn’t be seen.

Then the last detail clicked. How had she not noticed before this? Jon was recognizable. Like seen in the international news recognizable. He looked just like Superboy. She had seen him on the news a few days ago with his father after they took down Lex Luthor. That meant that Jon’s father was Superman. Clark Kent was Superman. She had to look back at him in surprise as well.

Jon then just took his glasses off completely.

“What are you doing?” Damian asked sharply.

Jon didn’t even look at Damian at all and only continued to stare at Marinette. “Where did you get those earrings?” He asked curiously.

Marinette’s head was spinning. She knew what he was getting at. 

A very long time ago Marinette had contacted the Justice League and asked them all to stay away. At the time, Hawkmoth was running wild in the city and so she feared they might be inclined to intervene. The thing was, she didn’t want any akumatized superheroes and she also didn’t want any damage to the city that would be caused by them if they did decide to help out. Her Miraculous cure wouldn’t be able to fix that and she feared she wouldn’t be able to beat them if they were to become akumatized.

Superman ended up being the one she was in contact with. They met up just outside Paris. He agreed that if the problem stayed contained in Paris and there were no casualties that they would stay away. She agreed to those terms of course. As long as she never failed then that meant the terms were easily met.

Marinette only talked to Superman the one time and it was years ago. If she was being honest, she never thought she would ever talk to the man ever again. In her mind, there was no need to.

Marinette snapped back to reality as she looked back at Jon. The resemblance to his father was uncanny. She felt stupid for not noticing who he was before. As if it was reflex, she reached up to feel if her earrings were still there. They were, of course.

“They were given to me.” She states calmly.

Jon then looks down to her bag. “And what material is it made out of?” He asks as he then smiles at her bag in wonder.

“You know, I’m not too sure.” Marinette answers honestly as she remembers that he has x-ray vision. He must be able to see Tikki inside her bag. That’s the only explanation for his sudden interest in her bag.

Marinette then looks around at everyone else faces in the room. Every single face had a mixture of worry and confusion. That’s when she realizes that they all already knew who Jon was and they were most likely confused as to why he just went ahead and outed himself like that.

“I’m not too sure either.” Jon looks back up at Marinette, still a bit awed. “They are coming to talk to you.”

“Who?” The bluenette asked, confused.

“My dad and Ba—uh Bruce.” He grinned.

“Okay.” Tim speaks up. “Will you tell me what the hell is going on here?”

“Marinette.” Bruce speaks up and the girl whips her head around to look at him and Clark—who was surprisingly without glasses—as they entered.

The bluenette immediately stands up and turns towards him. “Yes?”

“Will you come with me?” He asks.

Marinette’s head was going in a million different directions trying to figure out what Bruce could possibly want with her. Clearly there was some bit of information that she still didn’t have yet. She looked over to Clark—or Superman—only to see him nod in encouragement. This was Superman of all people. She could trust him.

“Sure.” She grabbed her bag before following.

“Father…” Damian spoke.

“You should all follow as well. No questions until I say.” Bruce ordered.

Everyone’s faces went serious as they all stood up to follow. It was like they were all suddenly solders taking orders. They moved as a unit.

Marinette looked back at Damian who was behind her as she followed Bruce and Clark through the halls. He looked just as confused as she did and that somehow made her feel a little more at ease. She wasn’t alone in this.

They then turned into the study and both of the men made their way to the large grandfather clock on the far side of the room. Marinette was confused for a second before Bruce then moved the hands of the clock and the whole thing swung open, revealing a hidden archway behind it.

“What are you…?” Tim began to speak.

“Questions later.” Bruce ordered before looking back at the bluenette. “Follow me.” He and Clark then both walked through the clock. “Alfred, take Barbara the other way.” He said without looking back after a few steps in.

Marinette looked back at everyone’s confused faces (all except Jon of course) and watched as Barbara went wide eyed before being wheeled away by a calm Alfred in the opposite direction. Then Marinette finally followed through the clock as well. The walkway was narrow and went down about two stories before it then opened up into a very large and wide room. Well not really a room, more like a cave. That’s when it all finally clicked.

The first thing that caught her attention were all the vehicles, the most predominant one being a sleek all black, low to the ground car decked to the nines. The Batmobile. The most recognizable car to ever exist. She briefly took notice of all the other vehicles before looking to the farthest wall.

There, in a long row of glass cases were the costumes of every Gotham hero, Batman’s being front and center. She even noticed an old Batgirl costume that must have belonged to the previous Batgirl. It was long speculated that she may have died but Marinette now knew the truth. That was when Barbara came wheeling into the cave with Alfred just next to a rather large computer. There was an elevator over there.

That’s when she saw what was on the computer. Up in the top corner was a large picture of her. Well more specifically of Ladybug. It was a file about her.

“Oh.” Marinette said before looking back to everyone behind her and then back to the wall of costumes. Her eyes seemed to linger on the Robin costume longer than the rest. “I understand now.” She said with a smile before following Bruce over to the computer. Her Prince Charming really was a hero after all.

“My first question is if Harley and Ivy know.” Bruce got straight to the point.

“They do.” She nods, trying to stay focused in the moment. “And I trust them.”

Bruce nods before looking back to Clark. “They shouldn’t be a problem. They’ve known for a while.”

Clark then looks over to Selina who looked just as confused as everyone else. “You’re probably right.” Clark nods.

Marinette wondered if that meant that her aunts knew the heroes all along. She remembered when she was first getting to know them that they talked about Selina and how she used to run with them back in the day. Marinette also remembered asking Damian if he knew about her past and he said yes, although he looked a little uncomfortable about the conversation at the time. It was only until now that she realized why.

She almost wanted to laugh. If they did know then that meant her aunts knew she had been kissing Robin all this time. Was that why Harley had the tendency to say that Marinette was better than Robin because she had once saved the world? Marinette didn’t understand those jokes until now. In her mind though, this didn’t make her aunts any less trustworthy. They were even more trustworthy. They knew it wasn’t any of their business to spill the secret and she was proud. To be honest, she would have done the same thing. Harley and Ivy really have changed.

“Clark tells me you have a… creature with you?” Bruce raises an eyebrow at her.

“She’s a kwami, but yes. Would you like to see her?”

Before Bruce even had the chance to respond, Tikki came flying out of her bag looking around at everything around her. “Hello.” She looked at Bruce with a smile. “I’m Tikki.”

Marinette watched as everyone’s faces either showed shock or wonder at her kwami and everyone stared between the two as they tried to piece all of this together. Bruce’s face read no emotion though. He only stared at Tikki.

“And what does she do?” Bruce asked.

“She and my earrings are bound together. They give me my powers.” Marinette points up to the screen where her picture is. “They make me Ladybug.”

This seems to click with everyone as they look between the picture and her and they all start to read the file on screen. Marinette starts to read it along with them but finds that there isn’t really much information besides what she can do and who the villains back in Paris were. There was even a little note at the bottom about her meeting with Superman.

“Can you demonstrate?” Bruce still looks solely at the kwami, as if assessing her.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve transformed, Tikki.” Marinette smiled brightly at her kwami before looking over at Damian.

The last time she transformed was to show her aunts and that was quite some time ago. They were the first two people she ever transformed in front of and their awed expressions were amazing. She began to wonder if she could get that reaction from Damian as well. Right now he seemed to only look dumbfounded at everything that was happening. He was still processing, it seems.

“Are you ready?” The bluenette asked her kwami.

“Any time, Marinette.”

“Okay. Tikki, spots on!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who wanted a Marinette POV, well now you've got it! The next chapter will be back in Damian's POV though. There will be a bit of overlap of seeing the same thing from different perspectives next chapter though.  
> Hope you enjoyed!


	28. Chapter 28

Everything was going about as expected when Jon suddenly stopped laughing to look off in the general direction of the cave. Damian knew that Jon must have heard something important that was being said between his father and Clark. That’s the only thing that could cause his sudden shift in attitude.

Damian glanced over at Marinette to see that she caught the mood shift as well. She looked towards the direction Jon was looking but of course she found nothing and so she looked back at Jon to see he was already looking at her as well.

In Damian’s eyes, Jon looked surprised. Even weirder than that though was that he seemed to be surprised by Marinette for whatever reason. Jon then pulled down his glasses to look past them and over at the bluenette.

Damian wanted to yell or throw something at him. How could he be so stupid? But then he saw the look on Jon’s face and realized that he seemed to be looking for something. He looked down by her feet and then quickly back up to her face and Jon’s surprise turned a bit more towards excitement. But why?

Damian looked back over to Marinette to see she looked surprised as well. He knew she was insanely smart and it wouldn’t surprise him if Jon’s quick glances gave him away. He only hoped he could divert this—do some damage control.

But then Jon did the unexpected. He took his glasses off completely.

“What are you doing?” Damian snapped.

Jon didn’t pay him any attention though. He only continued to look over at Marinette with surprised wonder.

“Where did you get those earrings?” He asked.

This was a completely random question. The young billionaire had to look over to Marinette to see what he was talking about but the girls’ hair was down. You couldn’t even see her ears. What was Jon getting at?

But then Damian saw a small bit of understanding flash in Marinette’s eyes and he knew that for whatever reason, this question had some significance to her. She then reached up to feel for the earrings and Damian finally caught sight of them. They were simple and all black. They didn’t seem to stand out at all.

“They were given to me.” She says in utter calmness.

“And what material is it made out of?” Jon asks as he looks back down at her feet in what Damian assumes is awe.

Damian has to look as well but all he sees is her school bag and the Gotham Academy uniform shoes every other student wore. Nothing was out of place… Unless there was something in her bag that he couldn’t see?

“You know, I’m not too sure.” She says honestly before looking around the room at everyone’s faces.

It was like she was assessing the room. She definitely knew something was going on and it was clear to Damian that she was gauging everyone’s reactions. The most she was probably getting from his face was confusion though and maybe a tiny bit of worry. What possessed Jon to do something like this? What did he know that everyone else didn’t?

“I’m not too sure either.” Jon looks back up at Marinette in what looks like admiration.

That statement was very confusing to Damian. Jon could recognize any material by just looking at it. Now her earrings really caught his attention. They seemed like they were special somehow.

“They are coming to talk to you.” Jon then says with a smile.

“Who?” Marinette asks in confusion.

“My dad and Ba—uh Bruce.” He grinned.

Damian was shocked that he almost slipped up. It was one thing to completely out himself but to accidentally out his father? Was he looking for trouble?

“Okay.” Tim speaks up. “Will you tell me what the hell is going on here?”

Before anyone can answer, Bruce and Clark—who was surprisingly without his glasses as well—walked into the room. “Marinette.” Bruce says and the bluenette whips her head in his direction, seemingly surprised by their entrance.

She then immediately stands up and turns towards him. “Yes?”

“Will you come with me?” He asks. 

Marinette looked as though she was trying to figure something out and as she looked over to Clark, he gave her a nod of encouragement. That small action seems to have made her mind up. “Sure.” She says as she grabs her school bag.

None of this was making any sense. What could Clark and his father possibly want with his Angel?

“Father…” Damian began to speak.

“You should all follow as well. No questions until I say.” Bruce ordered.

Damian immediately went very serious. That was his no nonsense Batman voice and he knew his father meant business. He quickly fell in line behind Marinette and the rest of his family followed suit. The only thing running through his mind at the moment was pure confusion.

As they began to walk, Marinette had looked back at him. She without a doubt showed strong determination but her own confusions still seemed to shine through. Something told him that she wasn’t as confused as he was at the moment though.

Damian’s confusion grew even more when he saw where they were going. Bruce led them into the study and straight to the grandfather clock that leads down to the cave. He didn’t even hesitate to open it up.

“What are you…?” Tim began to speak everyone’s thoughts.

“Questions later.” Bruce ordered before looking back to Marinette. “Follow me.” He said as both he and Clark began to make their way down. A few steps in he then said, “Alfred, take Barbara the other way.”

Damian didn’t even look back at them but he already knew she was probably very surprised and Alfred was always ridiculously calm. Honestly, he was more on the surprised side himself. Marinette looked back at everyone one more time before finally stepping through the archway.

Damian didn’t expect this day to come for a very long time. Wasn’t his father the one to tell him that this secret was important? What could possibly change his mind and allow him to do this? Damian’s heart was pounding as he watched his Angel descend the stairs. She was finally about to know one of the biggest secrets of his life. He’s dreamt of telling her about this part of his life for a very long time but he hadn’t realized it would make him this nervous. What would she think?

Damian kept his eyes solely on Marinette as she finally stepped into the cave. She was eerily calm. Her eyes darted over to the vehicles for a few moments before looking to the back wall where all the costumes were displayed. She stared at them for a few seconds before looking over to where Barbara had just entered with Alfred and then up at the Bat Computer.

“Oh.” She said before looking back at everyone else. 

Damian could see that she had connected the dots when their eyes met. She knew and she was… Okay with it. She didn’t even seem all that surprised. Marinette then looked back to all of the costumes and he noticed her eyes linger on the Robin costume longer than the rest.

“I understand now.” She smiled to herself, but that smile put Damian’s heart at ease. Despite all the confusion, she was happy with the outcome. It was freeing.

Marinette then followed Bruce over to the Bat Computer and everyone else fell in line behind her.

“My first question is if Harley and Ivy know.” Bruce asked.

Damian’s eyebrows knit together at that. What did his father mean?

“They do.” She nods with determination in her eyes. “And I trust them.” She says matter of factly.

Bruce nods before looking back to Clark. “They shouldn’t be a problem. They’ve known for a while.”

Clark then looks over to Selina. “You’re probably right.”

What was he talking about? Damian looked over to Selina as well but she was only looking at Marinette curiously. He began to wonder if this had something to do with the fact that both Harley and Ivy may already know the identities of everyone here.

About a year ago when his father first proposed to Selina, everyone feared that the women may have connected the dots. Bruce said that he would look into it and about a week later he had confirmed that they had nothing to worry about and everyone left it at that. Now Damian began to wonder if they had nothing to worry about not because the women had no clue, but because they promised not to tell. If they did do that he was honestly impressed. He would never have trusted them. Maybe that was why his father made them do bi-weekly checkups on them. It made sense.

“Clark tells me you have a… creature with you?” Bruce says and this breaks Damian’s train of thought.

A creature? That was another thing that made no sense to Damian. Was she harboring an animal? But Why?

“She’s a kwami, but yes. Would you like to see her?” 

Kwami? That was a word the young billionaire had never heard before and he knew multiple languages. But before he could think of anything else, a flying… creature? That was the only word he could think of, but this creature suddenly flew out of her bag. It was tiny and bright red with a few small black spots. Its blue eyes looked around at everyone curiously before stopping on Bruce.

“Hello.” The creature—a kwami Damian assumed—spoke in a cheerfully high-pitched voice. “I’m Tikki.”

Damian was completely caught off guard. Was this what Jon was looking at when he was staring in awe at her bag earlier? He understood why now. He was a bit awestruck himself. Damian then looked over to Marinette and saw that she was only reading the expressions of everyone in the room. She clearly wasn’t surprised by the kwami at all.

“And what does she do?” Bruce asked.

“She and my earrings are bound together. They give me my powers.” Marinette points up to the screen where there is a file displayed. “They make me Ladybug.”

This finally drags Damian’s attention to something else. He looks over to the computer to read what was on screen. Up in the top left corner is a picture of a girl in red spandex with black spots throughout. The file was named “Ladybug: Parisian Heroine”. Its brief description said that she had the power of creation and that she dealt with a villain named Hawkmoth. She also seemed to have the power to heal damage caused in a fight.

Hawkmoth seemed to be able to possess average ordinary citizens and turn them into super powered villains. His main goal was to obtain the “Miraculous” of Ladybug and Chat Noir. This was the jewelry that powered both the heroes and the villains.

At the bottom of this description there was a note put there by Superman. It said that a few years ago the young hero called the Justice League, but not for help. She pleaded that they stayed away. She made a point of saying that if someone who was already super powered somehow got possessed that she may not be able to win such a fight. She also said that if they did somehow help that she wouldn’t be able to magically fix their damage because it wasn’t caused by her, Chat Noir or the victims of Hawkmoth. The note ended by saying the Justice League wouldn’t intervene unless there were casualties or if the problem spread farther than Paris.

Damian looked back at Marinette and then over to the picture on the file. The picture must have been from a few years ago because she was even smaller than she was now. Her features, though a bit obstructed by a mask, were clearly a bit more round and childish than she looked now. The eyes though, they were unmistakable. If there was any question before, this solidified that she was in fact Ladybug.

“Can you demonstrate?” Bruce asked just as Damian finished reading the file.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve transformed, Tikki.” Marinette smiled brightly at the kwami before looking over at Damian.

Damian was still trying to process all of this. In mere moments Jon outed himself out of nowhere and his Angel found out his families secret. And now he finds out that she has been a hero too all along? He was surprised before he really began to think about it. Hadn’t he already called her good and selfless and athletically gifted? He already saw her do amazing things that no ordinary citizen could do and he had his suspicions that she was hiding something. Who could have guessed that she was hiding the same thing he was?

“Are you ready?” The bluenette asked her kwami, cutting off Damian’s train of thought again.

“Any time, Marinette.”

“Okay. Tikki, spots on!”

Damian was completely dazzled by this. A sparkly and beautiful pink light suddenly overtook the girl and her clothes changed with the wave of the light, leaving them as the red with black spotted spandex like the one in the picture. Her hair, which was down before, somehow magically changed into cute little pigtails and a mask also suddenly appeared onto her face. Hanging around her hips is what looked to be a large yoyo with a thin string.

Even with all of that, this wasn’t the thing that really stuck out in Damian’s mind. What stuck out to him was how skin tight the outfit was. Even though almost every inch of her body was covered, it was still… distracting. You could see every curve and every muscle on her body. She had never been so tempting to him before this moment. Damian had to force himself to look back into her eyes and he silently scolded himself knowing full well that now was not the time to think like that.

Marinette on the other hand seemed pleased with his reaction. Her smile did something to him that he didn’t know how to explain. His body screamed and pleaded to reach out and touch her but his brain told him not to. Thankfully, Damian was a logical person.

“I got to say.” Clark spoke up. “I’ve never seen anything like that before. Whatever just happened changed the makeup of her body. She’s now stronger and faster than she was before.”

“It’s the magic of the Miraculous.” The bluenette finally looked away from Damian and over at Clark. “But I’m not as strong or as fast as you. I am less susceptible to being hurt as well but again its nothing like you.”

“You have the power of creation, correct?” Bruce asked.

“Yes.” She nods. “But it’s not as precise as you might think. I can only make one thing while transformed before I have 5 minutes and then I automatically detransform after the time is up, but that’s only because I’m young. Tikki says that when I turn 18 that that will change. I’ll be able to do a lot more then.”

“Interesting.” Bruce nods. “But can you make whatever you want?”

“I wish.” Marinette sighs. “What I create is situational. I get what I truly need, not what I want. When I was fighting Hawkmoth I would have to figure out mid battle how to use what I created to my advantage. It takes some quick thinking.”

“How do you always get what you need?” Asked Clark.

“Luck.” Marinette answered with a smirk. “That’s my other super power.”

Damian immediately thinks back to the time the two of them were kidnapped by the Joker. It all made sense to him now. Her kwami was there with them that day. When she had said that she untied herself because she was lucky, that was only half the truth. Tikki must have done it.

“And what happens when you create something when you aren’t in trouble?” Bruce asks.

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “You want to find out?”

“Yes.” Jon speaks up.

Both Bruce and Clark glare over at him.

“Sorry.” Jon ducks his head apologetically.

Bruce looks back at the bluenette and nods once. “Go ahead.”

Marinette then unhooks her yoyo and throws it up in the air while saying, “Lucky Charm.”

There was a bright light before a long red spear with black dots suddenly formed in the air and fell to the ground, pointed end sticking solidly into the floor of the cave causing cracks to spread out like a spider web.

“Uhh, oops.” Marinette giggles. “I can fix that.”

“Can you now?” Bruce said sternly at the girl before looking back down to the cracked floor.

“Of course.” She smiles awkwardly as she pulled the spear out of the ground and threw it up in the air again before saying, “Miraculous Ladybug.”

Damian watched in awe as the spear disappeared and in its wake was what looked to be magical ladybugs that had formed and engulfed the damaged floor before suddenly disappearing as well. Somehow, the floor was just as it was before. There wasn’t even an indent where the spear had landed. It was incredible. 

“Ta-da!” She smiled. “See? All better.”

“Impressive.” Clark smiled at the girl. “I see now how such a small girl kept it all contained into one city.”

“Well I can only fix damage caused by myself and the Miraculous.” She shrugged. “That’s why I was so confident in the terms we made all of those years ago.”

“Can this reverse death?” Bruce asked.

“Yes.” She nodded. “I’ve seen it. But I really would rather not demonstrate that. It’s… not fun.”

“I’ll take your word on that.” Bruce says. “That demonstration is not necessary. I do have a few more questions before I let everyone else talk first.”

“Go ahead.” Marinette encourages.

“You defeated this ‘Hawkmoth’ person, correct?” He walked over to the computer and changed the screen over to a news article from Paris.

Damian read a bit of it and the first few lines were enough to understand the gist of what happened. Firstly, it praised Ladybug for finally capturing the villain of Paris. It then quickly went on to say that the villain Hawkmoth was a famous designer named Gabriel Agreste. The name was slightly familiar to him. The article also said the long loved partner of Ladybug—Chat Noir— had betrayed the people of Paris. It turned out the he was the son of the villain. Adrien Agreste. Their mugshots were the headlining photos.

“Yes.” She stared blankly at the screen

“And from what I’ve gathered from the Parisian news is that he was arrested along with the partner you once had. Chat Noir, was it?”

“Yes.” She frowned. “We didn’t know each other’s identities though. I think if Adrien would have found out sooner that his father was Hawkmoth then he would have betrayed me then too. There was nothing I could have done to stop it. Adrien loved his mother and would have done anything to get her back.”

“What do you mean?” Clark asked.

“If you combine the Ladybug Miraculous and the Black Cat Miraculous you then have the power to grant any wish. Gabriel’s wife fell into an irreversible coma and would never wake up. He would have wished to bring her back. Adrien found this out and decided that helping his father was what he wanted. But Adrien knew the risks. He didn’t care. He was selfish.” She said the last part in anger.

“What do you mean?” Clark asked again in confused.

“Every wish comes at a price. The universe is all about balance, after all.” She looked back at Clark with fierce determination, though tears were in her eyes. “It’s not right to change fate. Bringing her back could have meant that others would die… or worse.”

It was quiet as her words hung in the air. Her logic was indisputable. Damian began to realize what she had really been through. It was one thing to know that she was bullied into solitude but it was another to know that she was a super hero for many years and her own partner betrayed her. How lonely must it have been to be loved with a mask on by an entire city but hated without the mask by the same people? His Angel was stronger than he would ever know.

“Angel.” He stepped up automatically and reached for her.

She turned to him without a second thought and pulled him into a hug that he didn’t hesitate to return. Damian didn’t care that everyone was watching them. He just wanted her to feel better. He couldn’t bear seeing her upset.

Marinette buried her face into his chest and took a long, deep breath to calm down while Damian held her tightly and gently stroked her hair soothingly. It was quiet for a bit before a strange beeping sound broke them apart.

“What was that?” Damian asked.

“My five minutes are almost up.” She giggled, seemingly feeling better. “That’s my Miraculous giving me a heads up.” She sighed before looking around at everyone. “Uh, sorry about that.” The bluenette grinned. “What were we saying?”

“There is no need to apologize. I’m actually surprised you’re handling this so well.” Clark said. “It sounds to me like you’ve been through it. How did you even become Ladybug anyways?”

“The previous Guardian of the Miraculous chose me. I showed him bravery and kindness when no one else did.”

“The previous guardian?” Bruce asked. “Does that mean there is a new guardian?”

“Yeah.” Marinette chuckled. “That would be me. Harley calls me the kwami collector as a joke.”

Then her Miraculous beeped a few more times before a light suddenly flashed and she was now back in her regular clothes. Her kwami also reappeared in front of her looking slightly exhausted.

“I guess my five minutes are up.” She said as she reached out to hold the kwami. “I’ll find you something to eat, Tikki.”

“Speaking of.” Alfred suddenly spoke up. “I must go check on dinner.” He bowed before leaving.

Damian had almost forgotten about dinner and he looked over at the clock on the computer to see that it was getting closer to the time they usually ate. He found it strange that the mention of food reminded even Alfred. He was usually on top of that. He guessed that his Angel threw everyone for a loop today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all of the support on the last chapter. It makes me happy you all liked it. The Marinette POV was a last second decision and I'm thankful that it worked out.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beware! Spiciness up ahead. You have been warned.

Damian glanced over at the butler leaving before turning his attention back to Marinette who looked back up to Bruce with a smile. “So, you’re Batman. I got to admit that this was not what I was expecting when I came over today. Why did you decide to show me all of this?” She gestured around to the cave. “You could have sought me out in costume and I probably wouldn’t have known.”

“It was actually something Damian had said.” Bruce smiled over at his son.

Damian was confused by this and Marinette looked over at him in confusion as well.

“What do you mean?” She asked as she looked back to the billionaire.

“The day you two were captured by Joker, Damian and I had a long conversation about what went down. He was very impressed by your quick thinking and your actions to set the two of you free and he said that he was rendered unnecessary. It’s rare for any of us to be rendered unnecessary when it comes to the Joker.” Bruce shook his head with a smile as he thought about it. “But that’s not the only thing. Damian said that you were kind and that you had a good sense of justice. He said you were extremely good. He already knew you were hiding something but he didn’t care because he already trusted you. You should know that his words don’t come lightly. You have made quite an impact on my son.”

Marinette looked back over to Damian with a kind smile. “You were bragging about me to Batman?”

It was still new to Damian that she knew the identities of his family and was odd to hear her say that he bragged about her to Batman. At the time he was only speaking to his father. Batman sometimes seemed like a completely different person.

“I think you’ll find he does that more often than you think.” Bruce says honestly. “But I showed you all of this because I think it’s about time we all see what you are really made of. You’re young Marinette and I think it’s in everyone’s best interest that we keep someone like you on the right path. Harley and Ivy will keep you safe and they’ve done well to keep your secret but Clark and I think it would be best if you worked with a team. Hearing that you are the guardian of the Miraculous solidifies that even more. My family and the Justice League can help you and therefore help you keep the Miraculous safe. We know you are capable of doing the job by yourself but you’ve been alone in this for long enough.”

“Wow.” Marinette looked wide eyed at Bruce and the rest of the team held their own shocked faces.

Damian was ecstatic though. His two separate worlds were suddenly colliding and turning into one. He felt ridiculously lucky. Now he really could share everything he loved with her. He didn’t know why the universe decided to give him everything he ever wanted and more but he certainly wasn’t going to complain.

“But what about my aunts?” She then asked.

“Selina and I will talk to them.” The billionaire looks over to his wife and she nods in agreement. “I know their past is complicated but they are better now. They are your family and we know that. In the end, I’m confident they will be okay with this. They too, want what’s best for you.”

“Can we ask questions yet?” Tim spoke up. He looked as though he hated the fact that he had to wait to speak.

“Go ahead.” Bruce nods once.

It was ridiculous how quickly everyone surrounded Marinette. She sheepishly smiled as everyone bombarded her with questions. Damian had some questions of his own but he knew he would have time to ask them later so he only held her hand as his family set off their rapid fire questions.

“How long have you been a hero?” Tim asked.

“And what does it mean to be the guardian of the Miraculous?” Dick asked next.

“What does it feel like when you shine and change clothes?” Stephanie said.

“What’s the weirdest thing you have ever created?” Jon smiled widely.

“How many Miraculous are there?” Barbara said. “And what’s up with your kwami?” She pointed to Tikki who was still in Marinette’s hand.

“Hold on, hold on!” Marinette said to try to calm everyone down. “Let’s see… I’ve been a hero since I was 13. Being the guardian means I watch over and care for the Miraculous. I have to make sure they don’t fall into the wrong hands. Transforming is a wonderful feeling. It’s empowering. The weirdest thing I ever created…” She thinks for a moment. “Maybe a giant plastic donut?” The bluenette shrugs. “I’m not sure. I’ve had some weird ones. Oh, and I have 19 Miraculous.” She then looked down at the kwami who was resting in her free hand. “And Tikki is just tired. She’ll feel better when she eats. Right Tikki?”

“Oh, yeah.” Tikki says cheerfully. “I’m okay.”

The bluenette looks back up to the people around her. “Was that all of your questions?”

“Not even close.” Tim said. “How much stronger are you when transformed?”

“I’m not sure.” Marinette thinks for a moment. “I once destroyed an entire concrete bridge by wrapping my yoyo around it and pulling it tight. I also pulled down the Eiffel tower. My yoyo has special properties though, so…” She shrugged. “I’m sure there is a bunch of contributing factors. I couldn’t give you a good answer.”

“Can we spar?” Jason suddenly asked.

“Is Red Hood challenging me?” The bluenette smirked.

“Hey, if he gets to spar the so do I.” Dick said.

“Oh, oh!” Stephanie jumped in excitement. “Initiation!” 

“We won’t do that right now.” Bruce spoke. “We have dinner soon.”

“But before she leaves?” Jon asked. “I want to see this.”

“Well I don’t have to be home until 11.” Marinette smiled up at the billionaire. “And I don’t mind.”

Bruce briefly looked over at Clark before nodding at the young girl. “Alright. But you won’t be using your powers. We need to get a baseline.”

“Yay!” Stephanie cheered as she wrapped her arm around the girls’ shoulders. “You just made tonight interesting. We haven’t had a newbie in a long time.”

“You think you got what it takes, Pixie-Pop?” Jason smirked.

“We will see wont we, Jay?” She laughs.

Damian couldn’t believe this was real. Sparring? With his Angel? He was excited to see her in action. He looked over at her as she smiled and joked with his family and then down at the kwami in her hand.

Tikki was already looking at him with a bright smile. It was almost as if she… approved? He didn’t know why but this was somehow important to him. He knew that Tikki had been with his Angel for years and to have this feeling of acceptance from her was nice so Damian instinctively smiled back in return.

He looked up at his family again only to see Cassandra also smiling at him. He didn’t know how to explain it but Cassandra seemed to say a whole lot with just her eyes. She looked between him and Marinette and then down at their joined hands before nodding, as if this was what she wanted all along. Or maybe she expected it? She approved none the less and Damian always wondered what really went on in her head.

Damian then looked back over to his Angel and he saw the joy and excitement in her eyes as she talked to his family. She was answering one of Jon’s many questions about being Ladybug. She was giving everyone a detailed story about the day she became a hero. The story was fascinating to him. She explained herself as clumsy and soft spoken but after she had gotten her Miraculous she learned to be confident and graceful even. Over time it was like her clumsiness had faded all together.

She was truly incredible. It was clear to everyone listening that she had changed very much over the years. It made Damian feel better about himself because he knew she had changed too. Though their stories were different and his was much more extreme, they had still both changed for the better. They aren’t as different as he had originally thought.

Then Damian caught the eye of his father. He saw that both Clark and Selina kept their attention on Marinette but his father was watching only him. He knew he owed a lot to his father. His world would be a dark and lonely place without him. Damian was extremely thankful and so he smiled at his father to try to get the point across.

Bruce smiled back with a nod, as if he understood. Though his father was a man of few words, much like himself, Damian understood the actions his father took and knew he was also doing this for his sake. He wanted Damian to be happy and this was one of the grandest and greatest gifts he could give. Batman didn’t share his true identity with people that often. It was rare actually.

“So, Robin.” Marinette said with a smirk as she lightly elbowed him in the ribs. “You’re being awfully quiet. Don’t you have questions like everyone else?”

Damian automatically smiled back at her. The fact that she had called him Robin was almost thrilling. “Well, Ladybug.” He smirked back. “I figured that we would have plenty of time to ask questions later. I’ll let everyone else ask their questions first.”

“Excuse me.” Alfred said as he was coming down the steps. “Sorry to interrupt but dinner is almost ready. Shall we take this to the dining room?”

“Yes, Alfred.” Bruce spoke up. “Thank you.” He nodded before looking back to everyone else. “I’d like to talk to Selina and Clark for a moment. You kids head upstairs.”

Dick took Barbara over to the elevator while everyone else raced up the stairs leaving Bruce, Selina and Clark behind in the cave. The moment they were back on the ground floor, Marinette looked back at the grandfather clock as it closed behind them.

“What do you think they are taking about?” She asked as they began to walk to the dining room.

“You, obviously.” Jon grinned before suddenly frowning. “But dad said that I can’t say anything.”

“It must be nice to be able to hear them from up here.” Marinette giggled. “You must accidentally hear secrets all of the time.”

“I’ve learned to tune out what I don’t want to hear.” Jon shrugged as they all entered the dining room.

Just as they were all taking their seats was when Dick and Barbara came rolling in.  
\---------  
Dinner started as soon as Selina, Bruce and Clark joined at the table. Damian noticed that everyone seemed more carefree while at the dinner table. Everyone was exchanging stories and laughing and making jokes. After the kwami ate, even she joined in too. It was like the strangest family dynamic Damian had ever seen but at the same time, he wouldn’t have it any other way. Everything finally felt right to him; like this was how things were supposed to be.

Even after dinner was over, the joy still didn’t stop. Everyone was hyped up for the “initiation” that would happen soon. Damian was finally able to slip away with Marinette before all of this though. He was thankful for his “taking Titus for a walk” excuse.

“I can’t believe today was even real.” Marinette said as they were walking through the gardens hand in hand.

“I know.” Damian grinned. “I was worried for a second that Jon had lost his mind earlier.”

“I bet that was confusing.” She laughed.

“I was more confused why you weren’t as confused as I was. I would imagine most people would freak out if they found all of this out suddenly.”

“I was freaking out a little.” Marinette shrugs. “But being Ladybug has taught me how to control my emotions. In almost every case, freaking out has never helped me.”

The two came up to a bench and sat down together.

“Are you really excited to spar everyone?” Damian asked.

“I am, actually.” She grins. “I haven’t had any physical exercise like sparing since I beat Hawkmoth and Chat Noir. I kind of miss the feeling despite it all.” Marinette looks up at him. “You aren’t going to go easy on me, are you?”

“Hey, I’m curious too. Going easy on you wouldn’t help either of us. Father says we can’t improve if we don’t give it our all.”

“You’re father knows what he is talking about.” She leans into him to rest her head on his shoulder. “I’m so happy, Damian. I know this might sound stupid but for some reason I knew that I could tell you everything from the start. The only reason why I didn’t was because logically speaking, it would be the wrong thing to do. In the end though, it felt wrong to keep it in. It was a relief to finally know what you were hiding and I was eager to share my secrets too.”

“That’s not stupid.” Damian shook his head. “Because I felt the same. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to disappoint my family. I kept it from you out of obligation.”

Damian felt her look up at him so he looked down at her in return. She was giving him another smile that had his heart going wild.

“This would have been a whole lot simpler if we would have just listened to our hearts instead of our heads.”

“Life has never really been that simple, Angel.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and let his hand linger on her cheek. “But it all worked out, didn’t it?”

“I guess it did.” She grinned before closing the distance between them.

This kiss was somehow different from all of the rest. It was stronger somehow; like a magnet that would take some effort to pull apart. The kiss filled him with warmth and made his body feel like it had been electrified, like he had been brought back to life.

She suddenly wasn’t close enough, so he pulled her closer, letting his hands rest on her hips. He almost shivered in excitement as he felt her run her fingers though his scalp. His mind felt foggy as he lifted one hand up to her face and ran his own fingers through her hair.

And then something exciting happened. She suddenly parted her lips and ran her tongue across his bottom lip. Automatically and without thinking, his lips parted too. She tasted so incredibly sweet to him. It was a taste that had his body begging for more. That’s all that went through his mind. More, more, more.

He found himself gripping at her waist while she lightly tugged at his hair. In all honesty, he wished she would tug harder. Again, he wanted more. If he was in his right frame of mind he would have stopped there, but all coherent thoughts seemed to have eluded him. She was the only thing on his mind, the only thing of importance. He had never felt so… intoxicated by someone before.

He took ahold of her thigh and pulled it over to the other side of his body so she was straddling him. He liked it better when she was up on his lap. He also liked the surprise squeak she let out when she found herself on top of him. He chuckled once before kissing her deeper. This was the most enjoyable thing he had ever experience in his life.

But all good things must come to an end, unfortunately. The sound of a few people whistling broke them apart. Damian looked over to the house to see quite a few people looking out the window at them. The whistling seems to have come from Jason and Dick.

Marinette gasped in shock before scrambling to her feet and backing away from Damian. She was red with embarrassment and so was he. He watched for a moment as she straightened out her clothes and hair before he looked back over to the window again.

“Next time, get a room!” Tim yelled with a chuckle.

“Or maybe just don’t do that when me and my dad are around!” Jon yelled too. “I don’t want to hear it! I’m catching second hand embarrassment over here!”

“Alright, lovebirds!” Stephanie said from the window. “It’s initiation time! Bruce said to get in here!”

“Maybe calm down for a second.” Jason laughed. “Catch your breath.” He said before they all walked away from the window.

“Well that was embarrassing.” Marinette chuckled nervously as she hid her blush behind her hands.

“I’m sorry, Angel.” Damian stood up and grabbed the leash he hadn’t realized he dropped. “I got a little carried away.”

“Me too.” She sighed before walking up to him and reaching up to fix his hair. He bent down so she didn’t have to reach as far. “I can’t believe Jon and Clark heard that.” She whispered.

“And they can still hear us.” Damian didn’t even bother with whispering. He knew it was pointless. “I should have known better.”

Marinette smiled awkwardly before taking his hand. “Uh, let’s go inside. I still have initiation to do.”

“Okay, Angel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to those who don't like the spice. Sometimes I just can't help myself.


	30. Chapter 30

Damian was waiting in the training room for Stephanie and Marinette to arrive. Stephanie was lending her some clothes to spar in so she wouldn’t ruin her school clothes. He wished that they would hurry up though because everyone was looking at him, even his father and Alfred.

“So.” Jason said as he smirked over at him.

“Don’t start with me, Todd.”

“What do you mean?” Jason laughed. 

Damian glared over at him. “You know exactly what I mean.”

“Oh!” Jason chuckled. “You mean with you and Marinette sucking face. That was very surprising.”

“At least you didn’t have to hear it.” Jon huffed as he went a bit red thinking about it. “I’m still wondering what dimension we are in.”

“Yet you still came to the window with the rest of us, Jon.” Dick laughed.

“I already saw it either way.” Jon shrugged. “Plus, seeing Damian embarrassed was pretty funny.”

“All of you are getting on my nerves.” Damian huffed.

“That’s sort of the point, Demon Spawn.” Jason chuckled.

“There they are.” Clark spoke up before a fight could escalate.

Everyone else looks over just in time to see the two girls enter the room. Marinette was now wearing a simple black tank top and shorts and an old pair of Stephanie’s shoes. This was the first time Damian had seen this much of Marinette’s legs exposed and it had him distracted momentarily as he thought back to their time on the bench outside.

Then Damian’s thoughts were cut off by the sound of his father’s booming voice.

“Alright, Marinette. I’m going to have you spar one by one with each member of my team. The rules are simple, no dirty fighting and no weapons. You lose if you tap out, are pinned down or if you bleed but let’s not actively try to make someone bleed. Got that?”

Marinette nods in confirmation.

“Everyone will be watching so each fight will naturally be harder than the next. My team knows how to watch and learn so my word of advice is to not stick to one thing. Adapt. Change it up.” Bruce looks at her one last time before speaking again. “Your first spar will be with Tim. The two of you make your way to the mat.”

Tim and Marinette walked to the center of the room to face off while everyone else stood at the back wall to watch. Damian was almost envious because Tim got to go first. He was giddy and ready to pounce.

“You may begin.” Bruce said.

The two circled around each other for a few moments before Tim made the first move. Marinette was insanely fast as she bounced out of the way of Tim’s reach. That seemed to be a strength of hers; she was little and quick. She was hard to catch.

Tim was able to reach Marinette with his punches a few times but she always moved far enough that the blows made little impact. Damian was confused as to why she was playing so defensively but then she suddenly went into action.

She ducked under a punch of his and was lightning fast with her leg sweep. Tim fell onto his back with a solid thump and she crawled quickly to his arm to put him in an arm bar. Tim struggled for a few moments before he tapped out. The room erupted in cheers as the bluenette helped Tim off the ground with a bright smile.

“Good effort, babe.” Stephanie said as Tim approached the group.

“Good work, Marinette.” Bruce nodded in appraisal before looking over to Cassandra. “Cass, you’re up.”

Cassandra lit up in excitement as she made her way over to the mat. Bruce waited for everyone to calm down before he gave to two the go ahead to start.

If there was one thing Damian knew about Cassandra, it was that she was fast too, so this fight was at a much faster pace. Damian began to worry because Cassandra was advancing quickly on her. She was backing his Angel into a corner. Marinette didn’t seem to worry though because her face only showed pure determination. No one had been hit yet.

The moment Marinette’s back hit the wall, she used it as a spring board to tackle Cassandra to the floor. The two wrestled on the ground for a few minutes before Cassandra found herself on top and Marinette was pinned.

Cassandra then stood up to help the bluenette to her feet and both girls were grinning from ear to ear.

“Good job, Cass.” Marinette said. “That was fun.”

Cassandra nodded in agreement before finding her way back over to the group. Damian watched as his father called up Jason next.

“Finally!” Jason said as he went to the mat. “You ready, Pixie-Pop?”

Marinette looked fiercely determined as she got into her fighting stance. “You bet, Jay.”

Bruce gave them the go ahead and this time Marinette didn’t wait for her opponent to strike first. She ran quickly behind Jason and climbed onto his back. Jason reached behind him to pull her off but she was always quick to avoid him.

Damian was amazed when he saw her climb onto his shoulders and wrap her thighs around his neck. She was choking him with her legs. Jason tried very hard to pry her legs off of him but Damian could tell the lack of oxygen was weakening him. He fell to his knees before he tapped out.

“Are you okay?” Marinette asked as she climbed off to help him up.

“Yeah.” Jason was catching his breath. “Was not expecting that from you, Pixie-Pop.” He grinned over at her.

Damian’s family was cheering wildly by the time Jason made his way back to the group and all he could do was stare back at Marinette in amazement. He barley heard his father call Stephanie to fight next.

Stephanie was the kind of fighter who loved to throw kicks and Stephanie had very long legs. Right at the start of the fight the blonde got her once in the ribs with a swift kick and Damian instantly saw the wheels turning in his Angels head at that first solid blow.

Marinette backed away and out of Stephanie’s range and waited. Damian wasn’t sure what she was doing but he knew she had some sort of plan and he was excited to see it all unfold.

As soon as Steph was close enough, she threw another kick only this time Marinette seemed prepared for it. She grabbed ahold of her leg and yanked on it, causing Stephanie to become off balanced and fall to the floor. Because she still had a hold on her leg, it was easy for Marinette to put her in a straight ankle lock. Stephanie tapped out in seconds.

Damian felt so proud. His Angel was amazing and no one could deny that. He was hoping that he was up next but deep down he knew that his father was saving him for last. His father wanted him to see what all she could do before it was his turn.

Bruce called Dick next and Damian knew that this fight wouldn’t be easy. Besides his father, Dick had been doing this the longest. He knew his Angel had her work cut out for her.

When Bruce called for them to start, they both went into action. Marinette was fast but Dick’s acrobatic skills always seemed to really come in handy. He flipped all around her and her speed was really called into question. Damian worried when Dick threw a punch that was heading straight for her face but at the last second she did a graceful back hand spring out of the way. That’s when he saw Dick light up with excitement.

Dick no longer was trying to avoid her attacks and instead went all out with trying to grab her. Marinette did splits and rolls and flips to avoid everything heading her way. Her gracefulness and precision was incredible. They did this dance for a solid ten minutes before Marinette began to tire out. That’s when Dick caught her by the arm and flipped her over his shoulder, pinning her to the ground.

She was panting hard as she got up but she was still smiling from ear to ear.

“That was amazing, Cupcake.” Dick said.

“Thanks.” She said. “That was fun.”

“I think you might have some competition, Dick.” Barbara spoke up. “She was graceful.”

“Yeah she was.” Jon said with a smile. “Were you in the circus too, Marinette?”

“Circus?” She raised her eyebrow at that. “No.” She looked up at Dick. “Were you?”

“A long time ago, yes.” He grinned. “You’re a natural.”

“Alright.” Bruce waved Dick forward. “It’s Damian’s turn.”

Damian made his way to the mat as Dick was leaving. As they passed, Dick patted him on the shoulder.

“Good luck, Baby Bird.” He said.

Damian only nodded as he walked by before going to stand in front of his Angel.

Marinette took a deep breath and then smiled brightly at him, causing his heart to go wild again. “Don’t hold back, remember?”

“Never.” He took a deep breath too.

And then Bruce ordered them to start.

Her determination was a sight to behold. Damian knew she was watching, waiting. Her bluebell eyes were piercing and mesmerizing. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was sparring with her right now, he could probably look at them all day.

Damian took a quick step forward to sweep her legs and she fell to the ground but did a swift back roll back onto her feet without missing a beat. He reached out for her and managed to barely grab her by the wrist and pull her forward before sweeping her legs again and following her to the ground. He tried to pin her but she got her foot up to his chest in time and she kicked forward, causing him to fly back a few feet onto his back. They both got up at the same time.

Now she had a smile on her face. She was having fun with this and so was he. It was like the day they first met and they were playing dodge ball all over again, only this time they weren’t playing dodge ball and instead it was a playful spar.

Marinette then suddenly ran at him and Damian barely stepped out of her way. He turned around to look at her but she hopped onto his back without hesitation. He knew he couldn’t let her get to his shoulders so he quickly dropped to the floor, back first. This loosened her hold on him and he was able to spin around and face her.

She was quicker than him though and so she put all of her might into pushing against him, causing Damian to fall back onto his back as she climbed on top of him. Marinette tried her hardest to pin his arms down but Damian knew he was stronger than her. He broke free of her grasp and grabbed her by the waist to spin them around to where he was back on top.

He grabbed both of her wrists in each hand to pin her hands above her head. She struggled for a bit but in the end she couldn’t break free. Damian smiled down at her in triumph and she looked up at him with a smile of her own.

Damian quite liked this view. He had never seen her from this angle before but something about it was appealing to him. Maybe it was the way her eyes looked up at him or maybe it was how she gradually began to blush the longer they stayed this way. Whatever it was, he hoped they had many more spars to come.

“Looks like you won, Boy Wonder.” She joked.

This snapped Damian out of his daze and he quickly stood up, offering his hand out to her to help her up as well. “Thanks, Angel. You did very well.”

“Damian is correct.” Bruce spoke up from beside him. “My team has been training for many years and the fact that you bested half of them shows that you know what you are doing. You show amazing promise.”

“Thank you, Bruce.” She grins widely. “Does that mean I pass initiation?”

“You only had to beat one of us to pass initiation.” Jason spoke up.

“That was awesome, Marinette!” Jon came bouncing up with everyone else.

“You do put on quite a show, kitten.” Selina nods. “You remind me of myself when I was young.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of you liked the spice last chapter. Maybe I should write more? I dunno...


	31. Chapter 31

The night was drawing to a close and Marinette was now saying goodbye to everyone. It was crazy to Damian how everyone so willingly took her in. Even Clark and Jon gave the girl a goodbye hug. She had so much charm that was hard to resist.

“I’ll probably be see you again, Marinette.” Jon said. “Let me know if you ever have any trouble with Damian over here. I won’t hesitate to help.”

Damian scoffed at that but Marinette giggled at his comment. “Thanks, Jon. It was great meeting you.”

Selina was the last person she had to say goodbye to.

“Goodbye, kitten.” Selina smiled to the bluenette after giving her a hug. “Don’t forget that Bruce and I will be talking to your aunts tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Selina.” She smiled brightly. “I’ll see you all later.” She waves at everyone.

Damian then takes her hand. “You ready to go, Angel?”

“Yep.” She nods. “Let’s go.”

The two make their way to Damian’s car hand in hand. It’s quiet for a moment as they leave the manor. As Damian drove, Marinette was yet again playing with his hand. It reminded him of earlier in the day when he was driving them to his house after school.

He found it strange how different everything seemed to be even though they were doing the same exact thing as earlier in the day. The difference was a good thing though. They were closer now. They had fewer secrets. He never expected his day to go this way but he was happy nonetheless.

And then Marinette began to hum. Damian looked over at her with a smile. He recognized the tune. It was the same song she hummed the first day they met. Then he caught sight of her kwami sitting in her lap and he noticed that she had her eyes closed and was bobbing along. He couldn’t blame her. The sound was elegant.

Marinette acted as though she didn’t even notice she was humming. Her eyes were focused solely on his hand, like it was the most interesting thing in the world. It was the same look she had back then as well, only back then she was concentrating on whatever design she was making.

Then she suddenly stopped humming.

“I know what I want.” She looked up at him with a smile.

“What do you mean?” He looked over at her questioningly.

“You said you would paint me something. I know what that something is now.”

He smiled at that. It almost seemed like a lifetime ago that she asked to see a painting of his. He was happy she hadn’t forgotten.

“What is it, Angel?”

“Our hands.” She held them up between them. “That way when I’m not holding your hand I could still look at them.”

“I can do that.” Damian nods. “But you know, I think that I can now show you the paintings I already have.”

“You had paintings all along?”

“I did. But a lot of the things I’ve painted are things you couldn’t see at the time. They give away too much.”

“Oh.” She nods in understanding. “That makes sense.”

“I’ll make sure to start working on that painting soon.” He smiles over at her. “And then I’ll show you my other paintings some time.”

“I can’t wait.” She holds up his hand to rub the back of it on her cheek. “You know, today has been one of the best days despite the embarrassment from earlier.”

Damian hums in agreement as he thinks back to their time on the bench. The embarrassment was worth it in his mind. In fact, he would probably do it again if he had the chance.

“I’m excited for our date tomorrow.” Marinette continues. “I always have fun when it’s just the two of us.”

“That’s always my favorite time of day.” Damian agrees as he comes to a stop in front of her apartment. “I’ll be here to pick you up at 11.”

“I’ll be ready.” She says as she looks over to her apartment and then back to Damian. “Have a good night.”

“You too, my Angel.”

They close the distance between them for a brief goodbye kiss. These kisses were always bittersweet to Damian. He never liked saying goodbye no matter how long or short they may be apart. He would take her everywhere with him if he could.

“I’ll see you soon.” Marinette waves before leaving the car.

Damian watches her as she goes and he doesn’t leave until she is out of his sight.  
\---------  
“Well she’s fun.” Jon says the moment Damian is back inside his own house. “I see why you like her so much. She kicks ass.”

“Jon!” Clark scolds. “Language.”

“Oops. Sorry dad.” He smiles sheepishly at his father before turning back to Damian. “But I never thought I’d see Damian Wayne give the heart eyes to another person. Your heart beat was going crazy.” Jon laughed.

“And you two out on the bench?” Dick whistles. “Bruce gave you the talk, right?”

Damian went red with embarrassment. Technically speaking, no his father had not. That didn’t mean he wanted to hear it. He was knowledgeable enough. Back when he lived with his mother she was the kind of woman who had no filter. He had heard it all from a very young age. The birds and the bees weren’t news to him. After all, his mother used her sexual charm to carry out most of her assassinations. That was one of her best weapons.

The idea of having a full blown “talk” with his father sounded like hell to him. He would rather get punched into unconsciousness on a daily basis. Damian looked over to his father but Bruce refused to give him eye contact. He didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

“I’m going to leave before this gets any more awkward.” Damian finally said as he began to walk away.

“No, wait.” Stephanie stepped in front of him to prevent him from passing. “We still have to talk about how amazing Marinette is.”

“I told you that fact from day one.” Damian said. “The fact that she turned out to be a hero only solidified what I already said.”

“Yeah, but like.” Stephanie threw her hands up in excitement. “She literally sparkled and glowed! Don’t think for a second any of us missed the way you looked at her.”

“What are you talking about?” Damian scoffed.

“It was like you were trying to eat her with your eyes.” Jason laughed.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“And you’re in denial.” Barbara giggled. “But you hugging her and comforting her was very sweet of you. Who knew you would actually be decent boyfriend material?”

“She’s not my girlfriend… yet.”

“Yeah but I’d give it by the end of the day tomorrow.” Dick said. “Then you’ll have an official label on it.”

Damian honestly liked that idea. Maybe he would ask her to be his girlfriend tomorrow. It would make it all a lot less complicated.

“I think he agrees with you, Dick.” Tim laughed. “Look at the smile on his face.”

He hadn’t even realized he was smiling and it took a bit of effort to scowl over at Tim. “Can I leave yet?”

“In a moment.” Bruce spoke up. “I just wanted to remind you that on Friday you will be leaving for Paris. Jason has volunteered to be the one to go with you. The rest of us need to stay in Gotham.”

“Todd volunteered?” Damian asked at the same time the rest of his family asked, “Jason volunteered?”

Everyone looked over at the man in question and Jason only shrugged. “Paris sounds like fun. Plus, I want to see the idiots who decided to throw out Pixie-Pop.”

Damian wasn’t upset with this decision though. It was shocking, yes but Jason was the only person who probably wouldn’t bother him 24/7.

“Okay.” Damian nods. “If that’s all, I’ll be leaving now.”

“Hold up!” Jon called after him as he was walking away. It didn’t take him long to fall in step beside him as he walked down the halls. “I still have some questions.”

“That’s unsurprising.”

“Wouldn’t you have questions too if you were me?”

“I don’t know.” Damian shrugged. “I’ve never thought about being you.”

“Okay.” Jon laughs. “But on to my questions. Do you even realize what you two look like together?”

Damian had just reached his door and was turning the knob as Jon asked this question. “What do you mean?” He asked as his door swung open.

He stepped inside and Jon automatically followed.

“It’s like you two are joined at the hip. You move in synchronization with her. It’s one of the strangest and coolest things I have ever seen.” He grinned widely. “Even my dad said so.”

“Well it’s not like I’m doing it on purpose.” Damian shrugged with a grin before sitting on his bed to take his shoes off.

“And that’s what’s even stranger.” Jon shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. “I take back what I said when we were on the phone the other day. I don’t think you are falling in love with that girl, I think you are in love with that girl and you don’t even know it.”

“I…” Damian stared at Jon with a shocked expression.

“I know.” Jon laughed. “And you have only known her for a few weeks. That’s also what makes it even more strange.”

“O…kay.” Damian nods.

“She is super cool though. You have a girlfriend with magical fairies and jewelry that turns her into a superhero. I’m impressed and I’m half Kryptonian.” He shook his head again. “How does it feel knowing that with a couple of words your girlfriend could transform and become stronger than you? Good luck pinning her down then.”

“I… haven’t thought about that.” The young billionaire thinks about it for a moment. “I guess it’s not too different from having a half Kryptonian friend. At least she’s not weakened by a green glowing space rock.”

And then they both burst into laughter. “You got me there.” Jon says after calming down. “But I’m happy for you, Damian. It’s nice seeing you loosen up and be happy with another person. Although I could do without being around you during those make-out sessions.”

“You had to bring that back up, Jon?” The young billionaire glared at his best friend.

“It’s not something I can easily forget.”

“Me neither.” Damian says under his breath. He then looks up at Jon in shock. If it had been any other person they probably wouldn’t have heard him but of course Jon does.

Jon looked at him in his own shock. “Oh really?” He laughed. “Are you going to tell me about it?”

“I’m going to go with no.” Damian stands up to go to his closet to get some clothes. “You probably don’t even want to know anyways.”

“I’ll take your word on that one.” Jon chuckles.

“I’m going to take a shower and go to bed.” Damian says. “Feel free to creep around in my room for a bit but if not, you know where the door is.” He then walks into his bathroom and shuts the door behind him.  
\---------  
Damian had one of the best dreams in his life. Like most nights since he met his Angel, this dream was about her but this one was different from all of the rest. It was a lot more intense but in the best possible way in his opinion.

The dream started out in his room but he didn’t know how they had got there or why they were there in the first place. He didn’t seem to care though.

They were laying in his bed kissing. At first it was sweet and innocent but then Marinette did that thing with her tongue again and it was like they were on the bench all over again. She wasn’t close enough so he pulled her back onto his lap and sat up as he ran his hands up her hips to upper back and the back down again.

This time as Marinette ran her finders through his scalp she did pull on his hair a little harder and it had him gripping at her upper thighs and pulling her even closer. There was no room between them anymore and this suited Damian just fine. She was exactly where he wanted her to be.

Damian’s hands found the hem of her shirt and his heart began to beat even faster as his hands slipped under it so his fingertips could find the bare skin of her abdomen. Her skin was soft to the touch and he began to kiss her even deeper as his hands slowly crawled their way up her body.

Just as he was getting to the good part was when the sound of knocking at his door woke him up. He sat up in an instant and frowned when he realized that it was all just a dream.

“Master Damian.” Alfred said. “Breakfast will be ready soon. Don’t forget that our guests will be leaving shortly after.”

Damian sighed in frustration before he answered back. “Thank you, Alfred.”


	32. Chapter 32

Damian pulled up to Marinette’s apartment right on time and sent her a quick text letting her know he was here. He was hoping that he wouldn’t have to talk to Harley or Ivy and he sighed in relief when he saw only Marinette come walking out of the building. He quickly got out of the car to open the passenger door for her.

As she approached he took notice of what she was wearing. Like always, she took his breath away. She wore a form fitting black turtleneck with a brown suede skirt that had brass buttons in a line down the middle of the front. She also wore black boots that went all the way up to her thighs and her hair was in loose waves just past her shoulders.

“Hi, Damian.” She reached up to kiss him on the lips and this broke him out of his trance. “You look great. We almost sort of match.” She giggled. “Black really is your color. Makes your eyes pop.”

Damian had to look down at himself to remember what he was wearing. Like her, he was also wearing a black turtleneck but over the top he wore a black button up blazer. On the bottom he wore simple black dress shoes and black dress pants that matched the blazer. Black was the most predominant color in his wardrobe.

“Thank you, Angel.” He looked back up at her with a smile. “But I think you look beautiful. Did you make this yourself?” He took her hands and held them out away from her body so he could look at her better. He couldn’t find a single flaw.

“Everything but the shoes.” She giggled. “I felt like making something fall inspired. Gotham can get pretty cold.”

“Your talent never ceases to amaze me.” He bent down to kiss the back of her hand. “Are you ready to go, my Angel?”

“Absolutely.” She smiled brightly at him.  
\---------  
Damian put the car in park in the Gotham Aquarium parking lot and the two then both got out and met up at the front of it to hold hands again. Damian loved seeing the excitement he saw in his Angel’s eyes as they made their way to the large buildings’ doors.

“Do you have the tickets?” Damian asked.

“Oh, yeah!” Marinette reached inside her purse to pull out a folded piece of paper. “You know, I almost forgot to bring the tickets before I left.” She said. “That would have been embarrassing.”

They both stopped at the door and Marinette handed over the paper to the woman scanning tickets there. The woman quickly scanned it and handed the paper back but she suddenly went wide eyed at the girl.

“You’re the Sunshine of Gotham!” The woman said.

“Oh, uh.” Marinette grinned awkwardly. “I guess I am.”

The woman then looked over to Damian and then down at their joined hands. “Well welcome to the Gotham Aquarium Mr. Wayne, Miss Sunshine! Enjoy your visit!”

“Uh, thanks.” Marinette said before pulling Damian inside the door. As soon as they were a good distance away she spoke up again. “That was weird. I’ve never been called Miss Sunshine before.”

“There are far worse things you could be called, Angel.” He said before looking around. “Where to first?”

“The baby seal.” She grinned up at him. “He was born just last month and I heard he’s super cute. Let’s go see him first.”

“Okay, Angel.”

Damian didn’t realize he would have so much fun on this date. The exhibits and different animals were amazing to see but what really caught his attention was his Angel’s reaction to it all. Her eyes lit up at every vibrant fish and every cute animal. It made him look at everything around him in a different light.

The baby seal had Marinette squealing and cooing in excitement. Damian loved the way her eyes got all big and she tugged on his arm to make sure that he saw it too. She radiated joy everywhere they went and he found it all to be contagious. He couldn’t stop smiling too.

The dolphins and sharks had Marinette completely awestruck. The large animals completely held her attention for the longest time and as she watched them swim, Damian watched her. He couldn’t get enough of her. She had a beauty that nothing else could hope to compare to.

Damian found that Marinette enjoyed the salt water fish the best and it was because of their vibrancy. She enjoyed the colors they all had. He had to admit that the color was beautiful as well. Nothing though, was as beautiful in his mind than the bright bluebell color of his Angel’s eyes. They were a color that pierced straight into his soul and entirely captured his heart.

“The last thing on the list is the jellyfish exhibit.” Marinette said as they were leaving the fresh water exhibit. “And then afterwards we can go to the Aquariums food court and get something to eat.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Damian smiled down at her.

The jellyfish exhibit was completely devoid of people. It was a long, dark room with glass windows looking into tanks every few feet that had different species of jellyfish in each large tank. The only light in the room seemed to have come from the jellyfish who each gave off a different colored glow.

“Whoa.” Marinette looked around in awe before dragging Damian over to the closest tank. “This is amazing. They shine almost like stars.” She reached into her bag and pulled out her sketchbook. “You mind if I sketch something for a moment?”

“Go ahead, Angel.”

Marinette smiled at him before going to sit down at a bench by one of the large tanks. She tilted her sketchbook so the glow of the jellyfish gave her some light. Damian quickly made his way to sit beside her and watched as she worked in the book.

Her bluebell eyes almost seemed to glow like the jellyfish. Maybe it was just the dim room or maybe it was the inspiration in her eyes that made it seem that way. Damian couldn’t tell. Whatever it was, it completely encaptivated him. Every day that he knew her and the more he got to know her solidified his idea that she truly was an Angel. No normal person could look so enchanting and no normal person could be so undeniably good.

Damian reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear so he could see her face better but also, he needed to touch her to make sure she really was real. She was, of course, and this had his heart pounding in excitement when she looked up at him. He hadn’t realized he left his hand lingering on her cheek.

“What?” She whispered breathlessly and Damian noticed her blush in the dim glow. 

“Marinette, will you be my girlfriend?” He asked just as breathlessly. He didn’t expect to ask that question but it came out anyways.

“Yes.” She whispered before smiling brightly at him. “Of course I will.”

Damian smiled briefly as well before closing the distance between them for a kiss. It wasn’t that far. He hadn’t realized how close they had already gotten.

Damian heard a small thump and in the back of his mind he registered that it was Marinette’s sketch book that had hit the floor. This was unimportant to him though because Marinette had decided all on her own that she wanted to climb onto his lap. Maybe that’s why she dropped the book in the first place.

Marinette ran her fingers though his hair and began lightly tugging again as she peppered kisses down his jaw and to his neck. Damian’s hands found the space between her skirt and her boots where her skin was exposed and he held tightly onto her thighs there.

Damian was acutely aware that he may have been holding on a little too tightly to her but then her mouth found its way back to his and he became all consumed by her taste. There was nothing sweeter, nothing more intoxicating than the taste of her on his lip. He wanted more.

He became overwhelmed by desire as his thumbs found their way under her skirt. His hands were tailing slowly up her legs and he was thrilled when he felt her hands slip under his shirt and snake their way up his abdomen. They were exploring new territory and this time Damian knew it wasn’t a dream. He could never think up something like this.

And then the sound of a child’s laughter from down the hall broke them apart. Someone was coming into the jellyfish exhibit.

Marinette hopped to her feet and picked up her sketchbook before taking Damian’s hands and pulling him to his feet as well. His mind was still hazy in ecstasy as she ran to the exit, pulling Damian along with her. He couldn’t think but he followed her anyways and he knew right then and there that he would follow her anywhere.

They then turned the corner and ducked into the Aquariums photo booth. They stared at each other for a moment before Marinette burst into laughter and Damian couldn’t help but to smile.

“We were almost caught by some kids and their family.” She said.

“Yeah.” Damian chuckled. “We really need to remember where we are at next time. Maybe then we won’t be interrupted.”

“I know.” Marinette reached up to fix his hair. “Maybe if my boyfriend wouldn’t look at me like that I might be able to think every once in a while.” She sighed before then reaching down to button up Damian’s blazer. He didn’t even realize it came undone. Did she do that?

Damian couldn’t help but to smile down at her as her fingers buttoned his jacket. She had officially called him her boyfriend and it sounded like music to his ears. Dreams really do come true.

“Now.” Marinette looked back up at him when she finished with his jacket. “How do I look?”

“Beautiful, as always.” He answered without skipping a beat.

Marinette blushed with a smile before lightly shaking her head. “I mean, does it look like I was just making out with my boyfriend in the jellyfish exhibit?”

“Oh.” Damian said as he finally took a look at the state of her. He had to smooth her hair down a bit and reach down to straighten her skirt and pull up one of her boots. “There.” He smiled up at her. “Perfect.”

“Thanks.” She giggled before looking around at where they were. “Since we are here, do you want to take some pictures?”

Damian pulled out his wallet before Marinette could try to pay and he stuck a bill into the slot before putting the wallet back into his pocket. “Sure.” He smiled over at her.

She giggled again before scooting closer to him and looking at the camera. “You ready?” She asked.

“Absolutely, Angel.”  
\---------  
Damian looked at the photos he got from the booth with a smile. The first photo showed the two of them smiling at the camera and the second was the one where Marinette gave him a surprise kiss on the cheek. It wasn’t until the third picture that you actually see Damian’s surprise and Marinette was in mid laugh. The last picture as Damian’s favorite though. Damian had decided he would surprise her with a kiss of his own and the camera caught the moment their eyes closed as their lips touched. It was a sweet kiss. Nothing like the one they had minutes before.

“This is so cute.” Marinette said as she was looking at her own copy of the pictures. “I’m hanging this up on my wall when I get home.”

“I’m happy you like it.” Damian chuckled as he grabbed her hand before beginning to walk to the Aquariums food court. “Any idea on what we should eat?”

“I’m feeling pizza. What about you?”

“Pizza sounds great.”

Lunch was relatively relaxed and normal. They both ate their pizza while they talked about absolutely everything and nothing. Marinette showed him some designs she was working on and told him a bit about all the different kwami’s she cared for. Damian found it all to be very interesting.

Damian on the other hand told her about his own love for art and some of his best Robin stories. He was thankful for the busy chatter inside the food court because he knew whispering these stories to her meant no one would hear. He loved being open with her.

He was on cloud nine as they both made their way to the exit. He couldn’t understand how each day with his Angel one upped the last. He never realized days could be this good and he never realized what he had been missing all this time. 

Damian was listening to Marinette’s story about the dress she was currently making when he caught sight of a large group of people outside the Aquariums doors. He recognized them immediately. They were paparazzi. He stopped in his tracks.

“What is it?” Marinette looked up at him and asked.

“I think that woman at the front door had a big mouth. There are paparazzi outside.”

The bluenette looked out the front door and finally took notice of the group of people outside. “What are we going to do?”

“Just ignore them, Angel.” He looked down at her and smiled. “They will ask a lot of questions that we don’t have to answer. We’ll just go straight to my car, okay?”

“This won’t be the first time I’ve dealt with paparazzi.” She sighed. “Let’s go.” She gently squeezed his and.

They walked out the front door hand in hand and were immediately bombarded with camera flashes and questions. Damian kept his eyes forward as he walked but he watched Marinette out the corner of his eye. She was completely unbothered by this. She had a look of determination and walked beside him with purpose, like she belonged there.

“What are you doing at the Aquarium, Mr. Wayne?”

“Is this the ‘Sunshine of Gotham’ and are the two of you dating?”

“And what are your thoughts on what happened on twitter a few days ago?”

“Can we expect to see the two of you together more often?”

The questions kept on rolling as they came up to Damian’s car. He unlocked the door and opened it for her and she quickly ducked inside before he shut it behind her and then made his way to the drivers’ side to get in. He started up the car before he looked over at her.

“That wasn’t so bad.” She giggled as she took his hand again.

“It is a bit of an inconvenience though.” He said as he slowly backed out of the parking spot.

“It’s a small price to pay when your boyfriend is Damian Wayne.” She beamed over at him. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to saying that.”

“Me neither.” He smiled. “But you being my girlfriend just sounds right.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” Marinette agreed.


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to give in and write a little bit of smut. It's very mild smut. One might even call it very spicy spice. Whatever you want to call it, you have been warned. Sorry to those who are too pure for this. I've failed you.

Damian was pulling up to Marinette’s apartment when he saw one of his fathers’ cars parked outside. He was confused for a moment before he remembered that his father had said that he and Selina would be talking to both Harley and Ivy about Marinette joining the team today.

“I just got a text from Ivy.” Marinette said as they came to a stop. “She wants us both to head upstairs when we get there.”

Damian nods as he puts the car in park. “My father and Selina are already here. That’s my fathers’ car right there.” He points to the vehicle in question.

“Well I guess we know what this is about.” Marinette smiled over at him. “Let’s not keep them waiting.”

“I guess you’re right.” He says before shutting the car off and getting out.

They walked hand in hand in comfortable silence into the building and up the elevator. When the elevator stops they both get off and make their way to the door before Marinette opens it and they step inside.

The first thing Damian notices is Bud and Lou who come running up to them in excitement and flop onto their backs at Marinette’s feet. Tikki then comes flying out of Marinette’s bag and goes into the kitchen to a cookie jar on the counter. The young billionaire almost forgot about her.

“It’s good to see you Bud and Lou.” The bluenette giggles before kneeling down to rub the twos bellies. 

Damian smiles for a moment before looking up to see his father and Selina in the kitchen with coffee mugs while Harley and Ivy were on the other side of the island counter with their own coffees. Ivy ends up handing a cookie to the kwami.

“Great!” Harley said. “They’re here!”

Damian turned around and closed the door as Ivy said, “Welcome home, Marigold.”

Marinette gives each hyena a quick pat before standing back up. “Hi Aunt Ivy, hey Aunt Harley.”

“Did ya have a nice date, Sweetie?” Harley asked.

“We sure did.” The bluenette took Damian’s hand and began to walk over to the kitchen. “Damian asked me to be his girlfriend.”

“Oh, so you’re official now?” Harley grinned. “What’s it like dating one of the Bats brats?”

“Harley, that’s not nice!” Marinette frowned.

“Sorry. Old habits die hard, I guess.” She frowned too.

They stared at each other for a moment before both suddenly breaking into laughter. 

“You did that on purpose.” Marinette said between laughter.

“I knew you would think it was funny.” Harley said as she threw her arm around Marinette’s shoulder to walk her the rest of the way to the counter. “Mista Wayne here told us that you dazzled everyone with your magical light show on Friday.”

“Bruce didn’t look that dazzled.” The bluenette said as she looked over to the man in question.

“Don’t take it personally, kitten.” Selina said with a smile. “He was but he didn’t show it. Bruce isn’t a very reactionary man when it comes to his facial expressions.”

“By the way,” Harley piped up. “It sounds like the bats out the bag! How excitin’?!”

“That’s what I was just getting to.” Bruce said. “I wanted to ask you if you would allow Marinette on my team. I’ve already asked her and she said she was okay with it but it’s only right to talk to you two about it first.”

It was quiet for a few seconds as both Harley and Ivy looked over to the bluenette and then at each other.

“Well Red, she is a badass.” Harley said. “I’m not surprised that Bats sees it too.”

Ivy smiles at Harley before looking over at Marinette. “If that’s what she wants and is comfortable with doing, I’d be happy that she joined the team. I know she would do Gotham a little good.”

“Really?” The bluenette asks with a wide grin. She then runs up to the two women to give them both a hug. “You guys are the best.”

Damian smiles at the trio and he can see in this little interaction how much his Angel really does love these women. He’s happy that these two of all people are on her side. Despite everything they have done he knows that they can protect her and keep her happy when he’s not around. It’s more than he could ever ask for.

As soon as the trio steps apart, Selina speaks up. “You know, this little kitten here went a round with everyone on Friday. She’s very impressive.”

“Did ya kick ass?” Harley asked.

“I don’t know about that.” Marinette shrugs. “I won three out of the six fights.”

“Tell me you at least beat the Red Hood guy. He gets on my nerves sometimes.” Harley smirked.

“He gets on everyone’s nerves.” Damian spoke up. “But yes, she did. She choked him with her thighs.”

Harley and Ivy burst into laughter. “That’s my girl.” Ivy said.

“Just a reminder.” Bruce said after the laughter died down. “My private jet will be taking you to Paris at 6 P.M. on Friday. You’ll meet up with my lawyers before you board and my son Jason has agreed to accompany Damian so they will be going with you.”

Harley straightens up to solute. “Yes sir, Mista Wayne sir!” She says in utter seriousness. 

“Harls.” Ivy shakes her head with a laugh.

“What?” She grins with a shrug. “He talks like a drill sergeant. I don’t wanna be disrespectful.”

Damian looks up to his father only to see him shake his head in disappointment at the woman. Harley loved to make everything a joke and that was something that would never change.

“Father.” Damian speaks up. “How long have they known?”

Harley steps in between both him and Marinette to wrap her arms around the two. “Almost two years now.” She says with a smile. “And Ivy and I haven’t told a soul. Aren’t you proud, Robin?”

Damian resisted the urge to smack her hand away but only because his Angel wouldn’t approve. Instead, he glared up at her. “Why keep quiet?”

“Listen, I love this city.” She grins. “I know that in my day I used to bash a few to many skulls and steal when I shouldn’t but even then I had no desire to unmask Batman. The city would spiral out of control within hours and there would be nothing left of this place. Ivy knows that, I know that. Hell, every hard hitting person in this city knows that. The question is if you want this city standing or not. Some people do and some people don’t.” She patted him on the shoulder. “I’m on the side of wanting this city standing.”

It was times like this that Damian realizes that Harley really is a smart woman despite the persona she leads. She really does have a doctorate after all and it’s easy to forget sometimes. “Let’s hope it stays that way.” Damian eventually says.

“Awe.” Harley looks over to Marinette. “I think he’s starting to like me, Sweetie. I think you’re softening him up.”

Damian scoffs but Marinette giggles anyways.

“I agree with you, Harley.” Selina says. “The fact the he hasn’t slapped your arm off of him proves that point.”

“Are you tolerating me because of her?” Harley grins over at Damian.

The young billionaire doesn’t say anything and only glares at the woman.

“Oh, scary.” She pats him on the head before walking back over to Ivy. “Batman Jr. almost has that glare down pat.”

Damian wanted to yell at the woman but Marinette grabbed ahold of his hand and all of his anger vanished when he saw his Angel’s smile.

Bruce then put his coffee down and looked over at the women. “My lawyers will be emailing you again about your case soon. Selina and I have to go but thanks for the coffee.”

“Thank you, Bruce.” Ivy says. “We owe you for all that you are doing for us and Marinette.”

“Don’t mention it.” Bruce shook his head. “You and I both know that this is what Marinette deserves.”

Marinette then quickly ran around the counter to give the man a hug and he looked surprised for a moment before hugging her back. Damian smiled at the sight though. Only she could be so bold.

“Thank you again, Bruce.” She stepped back to smile brightly at him. “For everything. I promise I won’t let you down.”

Bruce looked down at the bluenette and gave her a soft smile. “I know.”

Marinette then turns around to also give Selina a hug. “I’ll see you soon, Selina.”

“Goodbye, kitten.” She says before turning to Bruce to grab his hand.

“I’ll see you at home, Damian.” Bruce says as he’s walking towards the exit. “Just be home before dinner.”

“Yes, father.” Damian nods before the two exits out the door.

“So you’re on hugging terms with Batman?” Harley asks in surprise.

“I… guess I am.” She giggles before turning to Damian. “Since you’re here, can you come with me so I can take your measurements?”

“Measurements?” Damian asks.

“Yeah.” She grabs his hand to take him towards her bedroom. Before they enter she stops at her door to look back at her aunts. “I’m still making dinner tonight, right?”

Harley and Ivy were making their way over to the couch and they sit down before Ivy says, “Yes. Try not to lose track of time, Marigold. Damian has his own dinner to get to in a few hours.”

“Got it!” She grins before opening up her bedroom and pulling Damian inside to shut the door.

Damian looked around and notice magazine clippings all over the walls. In one corner of the room was a mannequin with a dress in progress that Damian recognized as the one she was telling him about earlier. There was a desk with a sewing machine on top and there was basket next to the desk filled with all kinds of fabric.

He noticed that her bed wasn’t made and at the foot of the bed, draped across the foot-board, was his blazer that he gave her on their last date. Other than all of her current in progress work, her room was otherwise clean. Damian found that this room really suited her. It screamed that she lived here. He liked it.

“Sorry for all the mess.” She said as she went to sit down at the edge of her bed to begin to take off her boots. “I would have at least made my bed if I knew you were going to be here.”

“No.” Damian stared at her legs as she freed them from the thigh high boots. “I like it. This place is very you.”

“I guess that true.” She stood up and took her boots through an archway and to the left where he assumed her closet was. She came back out shortly after and went to her desk to pick up a tape measure. “Come here.” She asked with a smile.

He obeyed without question and stood a few feet in front of her.

“You’ve had your measurements taken before, right?” She asked as she began to unbutton his blazer jacket.

Damian watched her with unyielding interest as she did this. “Yes.” He said as he stared down at her fingers doing their work.

Marinette undid the final button and quickly took his jacket off before draping it across the chair by her desk. “It’s not the most fun thing, I’ll admit.” She said as she came back to him and guided his arms out to measure his wingspan.

“Are you kidding?” Damian smirked. “I’m having a great time watching you.”

Marinette chuckled as she turned around over to her desk and found a piece of paper to write down her measurements. “Yes. I’m sure this is thrilling.”

The young billionaire watched as she continued her work. She was fascinating to him. Her eyes held a beautiful kind of concentration and determination that he admired and his heart pounded at every small touch from her. He knew his mind was in the wrong place but he didn’t seem to mind or really care at the moment.

“There.” She looked up at him with a smile after finishing. “All done.”

“And what are you going to do with my measurements?” He asked with a mischievous smile.

Her smile turned mischievous as well. “Wouldn’t you like to know, handsome.”

He leaned down so his face was hovering a few inches above hers. “I would, beautiful.”

“I’m sorry to disappoint but,” She looked up at him with those piercing bluebell eyes. “I’m going to have to keep that a secret.”

A wild thought entered his head and he smiled even brighter at her. “I have ways of making you talk.” He inched a tiny bit closer.

She began to blush but her mischievousness never left her face. “Really? And how would you do that?”

Damian took her chin in his hand and tilted her face more towards him. “Are you sure you want to find out?”

“Oh, I’m positive.” She challenged.

“Okay.” He smirked before kissing her deeply.

Her hands automatically reached up for his hair just like he knew she would. Bravery surged through him as he reached down and picked her up by her thighs to hike her up to face level and she squeaked in surprise before giggling and locking her ankles behind him. He had a plan and he was going to see it through.

Damian turned around and began to walk over to the bed. It was hard to stay focused on this task though. He was distracted by every move she made. He walked slowly until his legs found the edge of her bed and then he dropped forward, letting Marinette hit the mattress.

He then grabbed ahold of both of her wrists and pinned them above her head with a smirk. “Aren’t you going to tell me?” He asked in a husky voice.

She hesitated for a moment as she looked up at him with heavy lidded eyes. “No.” She whispered, out of breath.

Damian then leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Not even if I begged?” He then kissed her jaw once before looking back into her eyes. “Please?”

Her legs tightened around him and he saw the confliction in her eyes. Damian had to restrain himself from not kissing her right then and there. She looked so tempting.

“I… was going to make you a button up shirt.” She said breathlessly.

Damian smiled in triumph. “See?” He kissed her once on the mouth. “I told you I could make you talk.” He let go of her wrists.

“You did, didn’t you?” She said before suddenly smirking up at him. “Now it’s my turn.”

“What?” Damian asked.

But then she went into action. She swiveled her hips and with one arm she pushed on the mattress to flip them both over, leaving her on top. Marinette was now on her hands and knees above him and she grinned down at him in glee before giving him a quick peck on the lips and then sitting up.

Damian tried to sit up to follow her but she put her hand up to his chest and pushed him back down. “No, no.” She said. “It’s my turn now.”

Damian’s eyes went wide with excitement. “Your turn to do what?”

“To tease you.” She said as innocent as possible as she ran her hands down his chest. “The shirt was going to be a surprise but you tricked me into telling you.” Her hands slipped under his shirt and she slowly ran her hands back up his chest, exposing his abdomen.

“It will still be a surprise.” Damian watched her with hungry eyes. “You didn’t tell me what it will look like.” He reached out to touch her but she quickly grabbed his wrist before he could.

“No touching unless I say. Don’t move.” Marinette took his hand and set it gently at his side. “Do you understand?”

Damian wasn’t sure he could speak so he only nodded. It was a struggle to stay still but at the same time he was having fun with this.

“Good boy.” She smiled as her fingers lightly traced over the shape his abs. “Now, are you going to apologize for tricking me like that?”

Damian nodded again.

Marinette took each of his hands and rested them on her hips and instinctually he tried to slide his hands up but she forced them back to where they were. “No.” She shook her head with a smile. “I need to hear that apology.”

He cleared his throat before speaking. “I’m sorry, Angel.”

She put her hands back on his abs and stared at them in a hunger Damian never realized she could show. He wanted to move but he knew he shouldn’t. “Sorry for what?” She asked.

“I’m sorry for coercing you into telling me what you are going to make me.” His hands twitched at her hips but he managed to stay still. “Do you forgive me?”

“Hmm.” She tapped her chin in thought for a moment. “I guess since you asked so nicely,” She bent down to kiss him on the mouth. “And because you’re so handsome,” She kissed him again on the jaw. “I do forgive you.”

“Can I move yet?” He asked eagerly.

Marinette smiled before nodding. “Sure.”

Damian swiftly sat up and pulled her as close as she would go as his mouth met hers again. He pulled her legs behind him and she quickly locked her ankles behind his back. His hands trailed up her back and he began to memorize the shape of her as they slowly made their way down her body to her waist and then her hips and then her thighs.

He got braver as his hands found their way back up and instead of resting his hands on her hips, he reached behind her to grab her butt. He felt her smile behind his lips and it might have been the lack of blood flow to his brain but something like a playful growl slipped through his teeth and he decided it would be a good idea to find them hem of her shirt and snake his fingers up her abdomen.

Marinette pulled away and looked down in shock and Damian followed her line of sight to see his own bulge. He looked back up at her to see her staring at it with a red face.

“Did I do that?” She whispered.

“Yes.” Damian swallowed hard.

She finally tore her gaze away to look back into Damian’s eyes. “Damian.” She smiled before sighing. “I would love to but my aunts are in the other room. They could walk in at any moment. Besides,” She stroked his cheek. “We don’t have any protection. I’m so sorry, really.”

Damian rested his head on her shoulder and took a deep breath to try and clear his thoughts. “No. You’re right.” He spoke into her shoulder. “Just… give me a few moments to calm back down.”

Marinette gently stroked his hair and nodded. “I’m sorry, Damian. Do you want some space?”

“No, I just…” He took another deep breath before looking back up at her. “Talk to me. About anything.”

“Oh.” She smiled sweetly at him. “You know, I’m thinking about picking baking up again. I sort of miss doing it. It’s very relaxing.”

“Is it?” Damian grinned. “I’ve never tried my hand at baking.”

“We can bake together sometime. It’ll be fun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor, poor Damian. Why did I do this to him? He doesn't deserve this. XD
> 
> I figured that I would put a warning ahead of every chapter that has anything mildly spicy or smut related to warn everyone from hear on out. I never intended to go down this route but here I am... I should feel ashamed but I don't. I hope no one is mad at me.


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: I do mention blood in this chapter and it is a tiny bit graphic. It's not that bad though, I promise.

Damian knew there would be questions come dinner time so he wasn’t surprised when they came rolling in the moment everyone was seated at the table.

“So how was your date, Little D?” Dick asked.

Damian sighed before looking up at everyone. “If you want to know if I asked Marinette to be my girlfriend then yes, I did. She said yes.”

“See?” Dick grinned. “Didn’t I tell you this would happen?”

“This is exciting, Damian.” Stephanie bounced in her seat. “Your first official girlfriend. She’s practically a member of the family now. We all very much approve.”

Damian shook his head but deep down he knew their approval meant a lot.

“By the way,” Damian looked up to his father. “I meant to tell you earlier but the paparazzi caught Marinette and I as we left the Aquarium. Apparently Marinette is known to them as ‘Miss Sunshine’.”

“Did either of you answer any of their questions?” Bruce asked.

“Of course not.”

“Good. Seeing as you and Marinette will most likely be seen more often together, I’ll have to get my PR team to set up an interview some time. We don’t need news about the two of you spread to any less than credible sources. We’ll have to set it up after the law suit of course.”

“I’ll let her know.” Damian nods.

“So Bruce was telling us that Harley and Ivy are okay with Marinette joining the team.” Tim said.

“That is correct.”

“And you also hung out at her house for a few hours after your date.” Tim continued.

“Yes.”

“Well what did you do?” Tim asked with a smirk.

“We talked.” Damian kept his face as neutral as possible. “And she wanted my measurements.”

“Measurements?” Jason raised his eyebrows at that. “Is that some sort of innuendo for something?”

“What?” Damian looked a little shocked at that. He was wrong of course but his thoughts weren’t too off base. “No. She designs and makes clothes you moron.”

“No need to get so defensive.” Jason laughed. “I was only kidding.”

Damian scoffed and went back to eating his food.  
\---------  
Patrol that night was pretty average and Sunday morning was when Damian started his painting for his Angel. He knew he would be able to finish it by the middle of the week and he became eager to show it to her when it was finished.

The only thing that scared him was all of the other paintings he promised to show her as well. His art room was like a timeline of his entire life. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Most of it was bad and ugly and he was terrified what she would think of it all.

He knew he could hide it, sure, but in the end he would have to show it to her eventually and Damian wasn’t a procrastinator. He would deal with this fallout, even if it crushed him. It felt wrong to him to hide this part of his life when she already knew so much.

Damian ended up talking to his father about it that Sunday night after training.

“Father, can I speak with you?” He asked as soon as the two were alone.

Bruce watched his expression for a moment before answering. “Of course, son. What is it?”

“I… want to show Marinette my art room. I want to tell her about my past but I’m afraid of what she might think. We’ve come so far and I understand that if she reacts poorly that this might ruin everything but I feel like it’s the right thing to do.”

Damian saw his fathers’ shock. This wasn’t what he was expecting, Damian was sure. It was quiet for a few moments as the two looked at each other.

“This is very brave of you, Damian. Are you sure you want to do that?”

“Yes.” He sighed. “One day I will have to tell her anyways. I feel like it’s wrong to continue this relationship when I’ve been keeping such a big part of my past from her. She deserves to know. I’m just… afraid she might turn away from me and therefore turn away from all of us. You’ve already brought her onto the team. What if this ruins everything?”

Bruce reached out to touch Damian’s shoulder in comfort. “Damian, I’m proud that you’ve come to me with this and that you are thinking ahead when you decided to make this decision. This is a very large step for you to take and it shows how much you really care about your relationship with her. Honesty is sometimes the hardest thing to overcome in many relationships and the fact that you are willing to risk your happiness so she knows the truth shows me how much you have really grown. So, if you want to do this no matter what outcome will come about then you should do it. It’s your decision.”

“But what if she does run? She knows so much.”

“Like you have said before, Marinette is a good person. Even if she does decide to leave, she is still trustworthy.” Bruce smiles down at his son. “Besides, have you seen who she has taken in as her family? You know already what those women have done in the past and so has she. She forgave them anyways, didn’t she?”

“I guess you’re right, father.” Damian grinned. It was a comforting thought knowing she could be so forgiving. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome and… good luck.” He patted him on the shoulder before leaving.  
\---------  
Monday and Tuesday were fairly ordinary days with the only notable thing being Chad’s return to school. He never made eye contact with him or Marinette though and Damian was just fine with his cowardice. Marinette was excited when Damian invited her over on Wednesday after school. He wondered if she saw his nervousness but it was hard to tell.

The drive to his house was nice though and Damian knew it was because of their joined hands. No matter what was going on inside his head, the second they held hands always put him at ease. It was like nothing in the world could bother him.

He pulled into his garage and put the car in park before looking over at Marinette.

“You ready to go inside?” He asked.

“You bet.”

They made their way inside and were of course greeted by Alfred. Damian didn’t miss the way Alfred looked at him and he knew that his father must have told him what he was going to do today. Alfred’s face was in a strange mixture of pride and pity. This could only play one of two ways and they both knew this.

As they were walking they passed the living room and Damian also saw the same look on everyone’s faces inside. It seemed like everyone knew what he was up to today.

“So what are we doing today?” Marinette asked as they were walking down the halls.

“I have a surprise for you.” He grinned nervously at her. “But before I do that I have to show you something first.”

“Okay.” She gently squeezed his hand comfortingly and Damian knew right then that she saw his distress. “What do you have to show me?”

“I want to show you all of my paintings. I’m afraid of what you might think though.” They came to a stop in front of a door and Damian fished out a key to unlock it.

“What, you don’t think your paintings look that great?” She joked.

“No, it’s not that.” He stopped himself from completely opening the door. “I’m afraid of what you will think of me.”

“I don’t understand.” She looked at him with questioning eyes.

“You will.” He took a deep breath before finally opening the door wide.

He grabbed her hand and faced her to the wall directly to the left of the door when you face it and then let go. The first painting wasn’t one of his worst but it started off his timeline.

It was the League of Assassins training room and in the front and center was his grandfather—Ra’s al Ghul— who was leading the instruction. Damian watched Marinette as she took it all in and followed her line of sight to the next paining. It was one of his mother—Talia al Ghul—and in each of her hands were bloodied swords and her face was devoid of any emotion, like the true killer she is.

The next paining is of a man Damian will never forget. He was Damian’s first target and the painting showed the man slumped over in a pool of his own blood. Damian remembered being proud of himself that day but thinking back on it, it always made him feel sick. Judging by Marinette’s expression, Damian knew she felt the same.

Marinette looked over to the next painting and Damian wondered if she would understand whose hands they were. They looked like a young boys hands covered in blood but that’s because they were. They were Damian’s hands when he was about seven. The paintings red though just wasn’t as vivid as the color in his memory.

The bluenette’s eyes flashed over to Damian and his eyes fell to the floor in shame. He didn’t want to see her expression yet. He was too much of a coward. But then Marinette finally looked back to the next painting and he got the courage to look back up again.

The next was the Lazarus pit and his half dead grandfather at the time was being lowered into it. Marinette stared at that one and he knew she wouldn’t understand its significance and so she moved on. The next one was of one of the times he was in the classes the League of Assassins taught. It was anatomy class, one of his best subjects at the time. They used real people to teach the subject.

And down the line she went. Damian watched as she saw more violence and more paintings of different kills and of his mother and grandfather. It wasn’t until she reached the turning point, the painting of Batman and his surprised expression, did her grim expression change.

The next painting, to anyone who didn’t understand the situation, would look as though it was hanging upside down. It showed Nightwing with an expression of laughter and shock as he looked directly at the viewer. Damian was tied up and hanging upside down then. That’s why the painting looked off.

The Batmobile was the next painting and the one after that was of Alfred’s own shocked face. Then the next was of a scolding look from Batman as he held a bloody sword up and away from the viewer. After that was the training room downstairs as Bruce stood front and center as if he was instructing and the next is of a large crowd of people with cameras and microphones and every single face was looking directly at the viewer.

The paintings kept going as they showed different members of his family and different important missions he went on. There was even a painting of the first time he met Jon and some paintings even showed a younger Titus and Alfred the cat. The very last paining is of everyone sitting around the dinner table as they all laughed and ate. Damian painted that one eight months ago at his last birthday.

This time when Marinette looked over at him he didn’t look away. She stared at him for a long time before stepping up to him to wipe away the tears he hadn’t realized was streaming down his face.

“Damian.” She whispered. “What happened?”

He couldn’t answer so he instead closed his eyes and shook his head. He felt Marinette stroking his cheek to try to comfort him but it felt all wrong to him. He felt as though he was a monster and she shouldn’t be the one to comfort him. He didn’t deserve it.

“Damian.” She said. “You have to tell me. I know you are upset but please… tell me what happened.”

Damian opened his eyes and he saw the concern on her face and it broke his heart. He grabbed ahold of her wrist and lightly held it away from his face. “I don’t deserve your concern, Marinette. This is exactly why you are too good for me. Why I’ll never be worthy of you.”

“All of these paintings are of your past, right?” She asks.

Damian nods.

“But you’ve changed.” She didn’t ask it as a question but as more of a statement.

“I’ve tried to change.” The tears seemed to flow heavier now and didn’t want to stop. “I don’t want to be the monster my mother or grandfather wanted me to be but I can’t change what I’ve done. I can’t bring all of those people back. I took them away from their families and their friends. Don’t you understand, Angel? I’ve done despicable, unforgivable things and you have the right to know.”

Marinette started to tear up too but her face was suddenly full of determination as she took his hand that had her wrist and dragged him over to a painting. “Do you see this?” She pointed to it.

Damian looked over to the painting she pointed to and he saw his bloodied seven year old hands. “Yes.” He nodded in shame.

“Those are your hands, right?”

“Yes.” He whispered.

“And how old were you?”

“Seven.”

“And do seven year olds normally do what you did? Is it normal for a kids hands to be covered in blood?”

“No.” He frowned.

“Exactly.” She suddenly took his face between her hands to force him to look at her. “Would you have done that on your own, without any influence?”

“No.” He tried to look away but she refused to let him.

“Don’t you see? You were a victim here, Damian. Her.” She pointed to a painting of his mother. “And him.” She pointed to one of his grandfather. “They did this to you. I don’t even know the full story and I already know that as a fact.” Marinette began to drag him over to a different painting and pointed to the one of his father’s disapproving face. “And this man right here. He gave you a second chance. Am I wrong?”

“No, but…”

“There are no but’s, Damian. I can see that you aren’t proud of what you did and I could tell how scared you were to show me all of this. You didn’t want me to think that you were a monster, well news flash, Damian. You aren’t a monster.” She reached down to grab both of his hands. “You are someone with regrets. A monster wouldn’t regret.”

Damian looked down at her determined tear streaked eyes and finally broke down to really cry. He hugged her tightly and sobbed into her neck. He wasn’t sure if he was crying out of relief that she wasn’t running or out of the sadness for all that he has done but he cried either way.

He was comforted by the fact that she hugged him back just as tightly and that she was gently stroking his hair.

“It’s okay, Damian.” She cooed. “I’m here and I’m not leaving. I promise.”

Damian just hugged her tighter and they stayed that way for a long time. After he calmed down, Damian finally took a step back. “I didn’t think I would cry this much.” He wiped away his tears with the back of his hand and chuckled nervously. “Sorry about you jacket.” He pointed to her tear stained shoulder.

“Damian.” She shook her head with a smile. “Don’t ever apologize for showing your true emotions to me. I know this was a hard thing for you to do. Thank you for showing me all of this, okay?”

“This is a relief, actually.” Damian grinned. “I have nothing else to hide.”

“So will you answer some of my questions?”

Damian smiled down at her before dragging her back to the first painting. “My grandfather was Ra’s al Ghul, the past leader of the League of Assassins. My mother is Talia al Ghul, now the current leader. They trained me to be the best assassin I could be. My grandfather wanted me to be the next leader but my mother wasn’t so keen on that. She thought she was next in line. They fought often. They did not love each other like a family should. They didn’t love me like they should. All they cared about was the League of Assassins and nothing else.”

“What is that?” Marinette pointed to the painting of the pit.

“The Lazarus pit. It can heal all wounds, even death. My grandfather abused it for many centuries. It kept him youthful and strong but repeated use of the pit can deteriorate the mind and turn someone insane. My grandfather was insane.” He shook his head. “Todd used the pit once, you know. The Joker killed him when he was only 13.”

“What?!” Marinette went wide eyed. “That’s awful.”

“I died once too, all thanks to my mother and grandfather. They created a clone of myself which killed me. I wasn’t brought back by the pit though. To make a very long story short, my father had the choice to bring back his parents or me. He chose me.”

“Oh my God.” Marinette slowly shook her head. “Do you remember it?”

“Yes.” Damian nods. “But it was very swift. There was no pain. That is something I do pity Todd over. He was tortured for days and remembers every second of it. He went off the deep end when he came back. We still struggle sometimes to rein him in. He’s got a deep hatred for the Joker. We can’t leave the two of them alone together.”

“Wow.” Marinette looked back to the paintings for a long moment. “If Bruce is your biological father and this is your biological mother…” She trailed off.

“My mother sought out my father for one thing and one thing only. She wanted a child.” He shook his head. “My mother is a disgusting person. She thought my father would produce strong children. That’s the only reason she chose him.”

“Oh.” Marinette whispered before turning to a different painting. “So what’s up with this one? I’m guessing you didn’t hang it upside down?”

“No.” Damian chuckled. “This was shortly after the first time I met Grayson. We ended up fighting and he tied me up and hung me upside down from a light pole. This was when I told him I was the son of Batman and he didn’t believe me.”

Marinette laughed at that. “I probably wouldn’t have believed you either.” She said before dragging him over to the last painting. “When was this? Everyone looks so happy here.”

“That was at dinner for my most recent birthday. Todd had just made fun of me and everyone was laughing at his joke.” He smiled at the painting.

“Oh!” She suddenly looked up at him in excitement. “You said you had a surprise for me?”

“I did.” Damian began to drag her to the center of the room where there was an easel covered by a white sheet.

“How did I miss this?” She asked as they stopped in front of it.

“You were preoccupied with other things.” He chuckled. “I’m guessing you’ve already figured out what this is? Why don’t you take a look?”

Marinette grinned widely at him before grabbing the edge of the sheet and pulling it off in one swift motion. Damian noticed as her grin turned to awe as she looked at the painting. She stared at it for a while before taking Damian’s hand and holding their joined hands up to the canvas to compare.

“How did you do this?” She looked back up at him. “It’s… perfect.”

Damian shrugged with a smile as he tapped the side of his head. “Photographic memory. I have near perfect recall.”

“You’re amazing.” She said as she looked back at the painting. “And I can keep this?”

“Of course. I made it specifically for you at your own request. It’s yours to do what you please.”

“I love it.” She reached up on her tippy toes to kiss him. “Thank you.”

“No.” He gently shook his head. “Thank you, my Angel, for allowing me to be an open book with you. You’ve made me immensely happy today.”

“Hey, you never have to hide anything from me, okay? Don’t ever forget that.”

“I won’t. I promise.”


	35. Chapter 35

Damian hasn’t felt this happy and carefree in a very long time. Perhaps never and his family could immediately see the difference. On Wednesday night at dinner, everyone silently rejoiced at the fact that Damian told his truth and Marinette still gladly accepted him.

After Damian returned home from dropping her off that night, his brothers and sisters crowded him in a group hug the moment he stepped back inside.

“Congratulations, Demon Spawn.” Jason punched him on the shoulder. “Pixie-Pop still likes you for whatever reason.”

“Of course she does!” Stephanie said. “That girl is an absolute treasure.”

“What did she say when you told her?” Tim asked.

“You don’t have to answer that, Damian.” Bruce spoke up.

“No.” Damian lightly shook his head. “She… said I was a victim of my mother and grandfather. She doesn’t blame me.”

“She’s not wrong.” Dick said. “She’s a smart and very understanding girl. You are very lucky to have her.”

“I know.” Damian whispered to himself.

“She’s very right for you, Damian.” Barbara said with a grin. “It’s like Bruce said. She brings out the best in you.”

“The young Miss sure is a welcome surprise.” Alfred nods. “She brings much joy everywhere she goes.”

“You’re right, Alfred.” Selina says.

“Well we have patrol in an hour.” Bruce speaks up. “Make sure you’re ready.”  
\---------  
The next two days went by in a blur for Damian. Patrol was about as average as it gets and school was pretty boring, the only highlight being that he gets to spend time with his Angel.

Marinette was voicing how nervous and excited she was to go back to Paris. That was the center of their conversations on both Thursday and Friday. Damian could tell the nervousness was getting the better of her come Friday. She was fidgeting with Damian’s fingers as they left the school.

“Angel.” Damian stopped them at the base of the schools steps. “We’ll all be with you in Paris. Me, Todd, your aunts. We will be by your side the whole time.”

“I know.” She sighed. “But I still don’t like having to see my parents again. I have no idea how they are going to act. And what if I see some of my old classmates?”

“I’ll make sure they don’t mess with you, I promise.” Damian smiled at her before looking up to the red convertible that just pulled up. “Harley is here.” He reaches down to give her a kiss. “I’ll see you at the airport in a few hours, okay?”

“This will be my first time on a private jet.” She grinned. “Should be fun.” Marinette gives him a hug. “I’ll see you soon.”

“See you soon.” He waves as she gets into the car.

Damian waits until they pull out before he heads to his car. The drive home was uneventful and the moment he steps inside he was greeted by Alfred.

“We will be leaving for the airport in an hour.” Alfred says. “Make sure you have everything packed.”

“I will. Thank you, Alfred.”  
\---------  
Alfred dropped Damian and Jason off at the airport and the two of them met up with the lawyers, Marinette and her aunts before making their way to the jet. Damian enjoyed the way Marinette’s face lit up at the sight of the Wayne jet and he was glad to see the nervousness has subsided for the moment.

“First time on a private jet, Pixie-Pop?” Jason asked as they were taking their seats.

Harley and Ivy sat next to each other on the left isle while the lawyers sat across from them. Marinette and Damian sat next to each other on the right while Jason sat across from them.

“It is.” She looked out the window she sat next to as they slowly began to move to the runway. “These things are super nice.”

“And they are faster than the commercial planes.” Jason grinned. “We’ll be in Paris in about 6 and a half hours.”

Marinette then looked over to her aunts who were talking to the lawyers. “Bruce has done so much for me. This is all so unreal.”

“Bruce has a soft spot for kids in need.” Jason chuckles. “I know he’s happy to help.”

Marinette stared out the window in awe as they slowly began to take off. Damian was never really all that amazed by flying but watching her had him amazed in his own way.

“Can you believe we’ll be taking my parents to court?” She slowly shook her head. “If we win this I’ll no longer be a Dupain-Cheng.”

“What do you mean ‘if’?” Harley spoke up. “Sweetie, I think you mean ‘when’. You’ll be an Isley-Quinzel by this time tomorrow.”

“I hope you’re right.” Marinette grinned.

“We will win this case.” One of the lawyers, a female, spoke up. “As long as you are still okay to testify.”

“I’m ready to tell my parents what they did to me.” Marinette said with a straight face. “I won’t back down from testifying.”

“We are very proud of you, Marigold.” Ivy gave the bluenette a soft smile.  
\---------  
Damian woke up and looked out the window to see the lights of the Eiffel Tower in the distance as they descended towards the Paris airport. Marinette was resting her head on his shoulder and he lightly shook her to wake her up.

“Angel.” He whispered.

“Hmm?” Marinette slowly looked up at him with a smile. “Yes, handsome?”

Damian grinned at her sleepy behavior before pointing towards the window. “We are about to land.”

Marinette looked over to where he was pointing and suddenly sat up. “Oh!”

Everyone’s heads shot up at the sudden sound and they all looked over to the bluenette.

“We’re here.” Marinette said.

Everyone looked out their windows and moments later the plane touched down. It was dark outside but morning would be approaching soon. They had just under 13 hours until they had their court hearing.

Harley, Ivy and the lawyers got off first and Marinette, Damian and Jason got off last. The seven of them made their way to a limo that was waiting for them and Damian watched as Marinette looked around nervously from the vehicles window.

“Is somethin’ wrong, Sweetie?” Harley asked.

“It’s just been awhile since I’ve seen this place is all.” Marinette took a deep breath. “We are staying the Le Grand Paris, right?”

“Yes.” Ivy nods.

“I wonder if I’ll see Chloe.”

“Oh, right.” Harley nods. “The rich daddy’s girl. You think she’ll be at this hotel?”

“I know she will.” Marinette says. “Her father owns the hotel and she lives there.”

“Should we change hotels?” Damian asked.

“No, its fine. Chloe wasn’t my friend but by the time Lila came around she just ended up ignoring me all together. She’s probably the only one I don’t mind seeing from my old class. She disliked me from the beginning so she wasn’t swayed by Lila’s lies. I don’t think she liked Lila all that much too.”

“Why doesn’t she like you?” Jason asked.

“Probably because of Adrien at first and then I think it was because of all the friends I had. Neither of those are factors anymore though.” She shrugs. “I have no friends in Paris and Adrien is in jail.”

The limo came to a stop in front of the hotel and everyone got out one by one. Jason headed the group as they went over the reception desk to check in.

“Do you have a reservation?” The receptionist asked in French.

“Yes. The name is under Wayne.” Jason replied in French.

“Jason knows French?” Marinette whispered to Damian.

“Todd knows English, French and Spanish. I myself know eleven languages.” Damian shrugged.

“Really?” Marinette looked up at him with wide eyes. “And what languages would that be?”

“English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin, Russian, Hindi, Malay, Bengali, Portuguese and Ancient Greek.”

Marinette stared at him for a moment before speaking. “Ancient Greek is a dead language.”

“I’m aware.” He grinned. “I learned that one for fun.”

“Fun.” Marinette giggled. “And here I thought knowing two languages was cool. Turns out Jay knows more than me.”

“You always have the opportunity to learn more. Don’t you take Spanish at school?”

“I do. I’m not fluent in it though. I’m definitely nowhere near knowing eleven languages.”

“Well I started learning them since I first began to speak. I think that gives me an advantage.”

Jason then turned around and handed everyone their room keys. “We are on the top floor.” He says. “Let’s go.”

They all make their way to the elevator and pile in. Its quiet for a while before the elevator dings and they all get off. Damian kisses Marinette goodnight before everyone goes their separate ways into their own room.

Everyone’s room was all in one hallway on the top floor. Harley and Ivy shared a room and across from them was one of the lawyers with the room next to them being the other lawyer. Across from them was Jason’s with the room next to him being Damian’s. Marinette was directly across from Damian. 

Damian wasted no time changing into his sleep clothes and went to sleep the moment his head hit the pillow.  
\---------  
Damian opened his eyes and saw sunlight pouring into his room. He picked up his phone to see that he had about six hours until they had to be at the court hearing. He sent a quick text to Marinette to see if she was up before he made his way to the bathroom to shower up and change.

By the time he was getting dressed he got a text back saying that she would meet him at the dining hall to eat. He smiled to himself as he texted her back before making his way there. Damian found an empty table and took a seat to wait for her.

As he was waiting, a girl approached him at his table. “You’re Damian Wayne, right?” She asked in French.

Damian looked up at her and glared. She was a slim blonde girl who looked as though she spent too much time looking at herself in the mirror. She also was unfazed by his glaring.

“Yes.” He said blankly back in French.

“So do you really know Dupain-Cheng?” The way she said her name was almost like she was making fun of it although her face showed no amusement.

“You mean Marinette?” Damian said blankly.

“Yeah, sure.” She waved her hand as if to dismiss it. “Marinette.”

“Yes I know her. She’s my girlfriend.”

The girl then smiled brightly before laughing. “I told Sabrina that girl was a liar. Those photos on twitter weren’t fake. Bruce Wayne even retweeted it.”

The word “liar” caught Damian’s attention. “Liar?” He asked.

“Oh yeah. This good for nothing liar at my school was claiming that the photos of you and Marinette were fake. She was going on and on about how you and her were childhood best friends and that Marinette teamed up with some villains to defame your name or something ridiculous.”

“I can assure you that nothing like that is true.”

“I never believe a single word that comes out of her mouth anyways.” The blonde flipped her hair over her shoulder. “She’s just a wannabe that never will.”

Damian looked over to see Marinette enter the room and he immediately stood up to greet her. She stopped in her tracks a few feet away from him and looked wide eyed at the blonde.

“Chloe?” She asked.

“Dupain-Cheng.” Chloe smirked. “Looks like you’re doing well. You can afford to stay at my daddy’s hotel. That’s a step up.”

“Right…” Marinette finally closed the distance to stand beside Damian. “Is there something you want, Chloe?”

“No. Not really. I did meet your boyfriend though. He sure is a step up from that traitor Adrien.” She laughed.

“I really don’t want to talk about him, Chloe.”

“Yeah.” She frowned. “I don’t blame you. You know there hasn’t been a single sighting of Ladybug since you left. I feel bad for her. Can you imagine what she’s going through?” She sighed before continuing. “Anyways, I was just telling Damian here about Lila’s newest lie about you. She saw twitter you know.”

“I think everyone has.” Marinette said. “Let me guess. The photos are fake? She’s BFF’s with the Wayne’s?”

Chloe laughed. “You’re spot on, Dupain-Cheng. She also said you are working on the side of the villains.”

“Harley and Ivy aren’t villains. They’ve reformed. They are good now and at least they believe me when I’m telling the truth.” The bluenette frowned. “Unlike everyone else in this stupid city.”

Chloe stared blankly at the bluenette for a moment. “So… you’re with them?”

“Harley and Ivy? Yes. They are the ones who have taken me in. They are fostering me.”

“Huh…” Chloe nods. “Whatever.” She shrugs. “By the way, if you hate it here so much then why are you back.”

“Harley and Ivy are taking my parents to court. They want full custody over me.”

“So she wasn’t lying about that.” Chloe shook her head.

“What do you mean?” Marinette asked.

“About a week ago Lila was saying that your parents reached out to her and asked her to testify in court against you. I didn’t pay any attention to it. I thought it was another lie.”

“Great.” Marinette frowned. “You always know how to ruin my mood, Chloe.”

Chloe laughed at that. “Just like old times, huh Dupain-Cheng?”

“Yeah.” Marinette took Damian’s hand. “I’m going to go eat now.”

“Try the Soufflé. It’s divine.” The blonde said before she walked off.

“Should we tell the lawyers that Lila will be testifying?” Marinette asked as they went to go get their food.

“It wouldn’t hurt.” Damian looked down at her sad face. “Will you be okay, Angel?”

“Yeah.” She sighed. “This will be the last time I’ll ever have to speak to her again. Let her spew her lies. I don’t care anymore.”

“I’ll be with you the entire time, Angel. She won’t be able to get away with her lies. Not today.”

Marinette looked up at him and smiled. “Thank you, Damian. You’re the best.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for me to update. I was having a bit of writers block but I got there in the end.


	36. Chapter 36

Everyone pulled up to the court house and Marinette looked out the window in horror. Damian followed her line of sight and saw a multitude of teenagers standing on the steps of the building. He didn’t have to guess who all of these kids were. He knew.

“That’s… my old class.” Marinette said.

“Okay.” One of the lawyers, the male, spoke up. “Here’s what you are going to do. You are going to stand in the middle of all of us. Don’t look at them no matter what they say, okay? Just keep walking with all of us inside the building. If fact, no one react to them. Pretend they aren’t there.”

“I can do that.” Marinette nods. “But I don’t have to get out first, right?”

Damian took ahold of her hand. “I’ll get out first, okay?”

“Thank you.” She sighed in relief.

The driver of the limo then got out and made his way around to open the door. Damian got out first and he heard the whispering of the teenagers up ahead as he turned around and offered his hand out to Marinette as she got out. He kept a hold on her hand as everyone else began to pile out of the vehicle.

“Is that Maribitch?” One of the kids said. Damian looked out of the corner of his eye to see that it was a student with reddish-brown hair and glasses. “Why is she holding hands with Damian Wayne? I thought Lila said those photos were fake?”

“I’m sure she will explain everything after the court hearing, babe.” A different kid said. He was a male wearing a baseball cap and glasses.

“Look!” Another kid, a small blonde girl, said. “She really is with the villains of Gotham.”

“Maybe they have taken that Damian guy as a hostage?” The girl with the glasses says.

“Let’s go.” One of the lawyers whispered and they all began to make their way inside with Marinette in the middle of them all.

“Hey, Marinette.” The girl with the glasses spoke as she began to film them on her phone. “You really have gone off the deep end, huh? You’re hanging out with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn? And I thought you couldn’t get any worse.”

Damian squeezed Marinette’s hand and he saw Ivy and Harley perk up at their names but he knew they couldn’t understand them. They didn’t know French. The lawyers would probably translate for them later.

As they made their way inside, the large group of teenagers followed them. The court hearing wasn’t for another 15 minutes so the teenagers wouldn’t be allowed inside the court room until then. Damian knew they would be sitting in the gallery though. They would want to see this unfold.

“Are you just going to ignore me, Marinette? Are you that much of a coward?” The girl with the phone asked again. “I hope you know that your parents and Lila are already inside. They aren’t going to let you run wild with these psychopaths.”

The lawyers flashed some sort of badge at an officer by a closed door and they were ushered inside allowing the questions from the girl to cease.

Damian looked over to the only other people in the room and saw a small balding man dressed in a cheap suit which Damian assumes is their lawyer. There is also a small Asian woman who resembles Marinette a bit and then a very large man was holding her hand and Damian knows this is his Angel’s parents. There was also a teenage girl with blunt straight bangs who was talking with the lawyer.

Their entrance caused all of them to look over to the group who has just entered and Damian saw shock flash on the teenage girls face when her eyes met his. He only glared at her with the most hateful look he could give. Marinette’s parents on the other hand looked over at Harley and Ivy with a bit of fear. He appreciated that.

Marinette’s parents and their party of people sat on the right side of the room so Harley and Ivy with their group sat on the left. Their lawyers gathered everyone into a huddle so they could talk around their table.

“I will be the translator throughout this whole process.” The woman said. “I can assure you that I will not filter what they say. We have decided that we will let them make their statement first and then we will counter argue before we then make our own statements and then let them counter argue. At the end of the day the choice is up to the judge and we are positive that we will win this case. It is an impossibility that this liar breaks our perfect case history. We will catch this liar lying under oath.”

Damian watched Marinette smile at that and he knows she likes the sound of that and he did too. He glanced over at the table with Marinette’s parents and he saw that they were already looking at him. They looked at him in pure confusion and he knew it was because they didn’t expect to see him here. Damian wondered what lie Lila was telling now and if she told them too that the photos of him and his Angel were fake. They would soon learn.

After a few more minutes of prepping the doors opened to let the gallery inside to watch. Damian held onto Marinette’s hand and both of them never looked back at all of the people entering. They both looked at each other and smiled for a moment before Damian held up their joined hands and kissed the back of hers.

“We got this, Angel.” He whispered.

Marinette took a deep breath. “I know.” She nods.

A moment later the judge comes out and everyone rises as he takes his seat. He quickly announces the case in a monotone voice before everyone takes their seat again. The judge then swears in all of the lawyers before giving Marinette’s parents lawyer the floor.

The balding man clears his throat before speaking. “Firstly, your honor, I would like to point out who is trying to gain custody over the young Miss Dupain-Cheng. Though their names are Pamela Isley and Harleen Quinzel, this is not what they go by. Most people know them as ‘Poison Ivy’ and ‘Harley Quinn’. They are villains who have terrorized their city of Gotham for years. Are these the kind of people you want taking care of a child? I don’t think so. Especially not a child so troublesome. That is a disaster waiting to happen.” The man looks over at the judge for a moment before continuing. “This brings me to my second point. Marinette Dupain-Cheng is out of control. I have a witness who can attest to that, if you’ll allow me to first call Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng to the floor?”

The judge nods and then swears them both in when they both take their seat at the front of the room.

“Now,” The lawyer says. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng is your only daughter, correct?”

“Yes.” Tom and Sabine answer in unison.

“And has she been troublesome?” The lawyer asks.

“Yes.” They answer again.

“Can you give me some examples of what she has done?”

“Sure.” Sabine says. “At first she would just lie. We told her it was wrong but she wouldn’t listen. She told us what everyone else was saying about her was the lie. She doesn’t own up to what she does. And then she started to bully her classmates. She would call them names and make fun of them. But the worst thing she ever did was physically assault one of her classmates, Lila.” She points to the girl in question. “She came to my house crying and covered in bruises and blood. It was absolutely terrible.”

The lawyer nods at the before looking to Tom. “Anything you want to add to that?”

“Yes.” Tom nods. “I don’t know what caused my daughter to act this way but I do know that giving custody of her to these women would be a terrible mistake. We don’t need her to become a menace to society. Maybe she can still learn before it’s too late.”

“Thank you.” The lawyer smiles. “That concludes my questioning.”

“Permission to cross examine?” One of Harley and Ivy’s lawyers, the male, asked.

“Proceed.” The judge nods.

The man casually walks up to the parents before speaking. “Is it true that the two of you willingly put your child into a program for troubled teens?”

“Y-yes.” Sabine answered.

“And is it true that you signed off for one Pamela Isley and one Harleen Quinzel to take care of her? To foster her while in Gotham?”

“Yes.” Sabine frowned.

“Okay and why did you make that decision?”

“Well…” Sabine looked up to her husband.

“We thought sending her to a place like Gotham would teach her a lesson.” Tom spoke up. “We thought that after some time there and after she reflected on her actions she would realize her mistakes and try to be better.”

“Okay.” Harley and Ivy’s lawyer smiled. “And did you not just say giving custody of your daughter to these women would be a mistake?”

“I did.”

“You do realize that you gave them temporary custody of her when you signed those papers, correct?”

“Well we didn’t know who these women were.” Sabine spoke up.

“Oh really?” The lawyer grinned. “I find that hard to believe. The paperwork you signed, which I have a copy of by the way,” He holds up the paper. “Shows the extensive history of both of these women. And if you happened to take the time to read it then you would know that they served their time. They got their clean bill of health. They have reformed into society otherwise they would never be allowed to take in any children. But you didn’t read it, did you? You were just happy to get your daughter out of your hair, am I right?”

“N-no, I…” Sabine said.

“So you did read it?”

Sabine takes a deep breath. “I didn’t read all of it.”

“I see.” The lawyer nods for a moment. “I’ll move on to my next topic for now. You said your daughter was a liar and a bully, correct?”

“Yes.” Tom says.

“I would like to argue that she’s not and that in fact, Marinette herself is a victim instead. Marinette was the class president and was friends with almost all of her classmates up until one point. Why do you think that is?”

“Well Lila transferred.” Sabine said. “And Marinette became jealous that she was becoming friends with all of her friends.”

“Interesting… and has she ever show jealous tendencies before this?”

“Well… no.” Sabine said.

“Okay. And why have you so willingly taken the words of others instead of your own daughter, who was good up until this point?”

“Well there were so many people vouching for Lila’s side.” Tom spoke up. “That’s not a coincidence.”

“I would have to agree with you there, Mr. Dupain, but I’m afraid that you looked at this the wrong way.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Tom asked.

“What I mean is, not only is your daughter a victim, but in a way, so are you. You’ve been blinded by lies. Take a moment to consider the fact that your daughter was always telling the truth. What then?”

“But… we have proof. We saw what happened to Lila.” Sabine said.

“You saw Lila with bruises and blood. You saw her crying on your doorstep. But what if I told you that all of that was fake? She set up this whole ruse just to get your daughter in trouble.”

“But it wasn’t fake!” Tom yelled.

“Okay Mr. Dupain. You will see the truth in due time.” The lawyer said calmly. “No further questions, your honor.”

Tom and Sabine went to go take their seat and their lawyer then called up Lila as a witness. The judge swore her in before the lawyer began their questioning.

“Miss Rossi.” The balding man said. “You went to school with Miss Dupain-Cheng, correct?”

“Yes.” She said sweetly.

“And what were your first thoughts about her when you first met her?”

“Well I thought she was so pretty and cool. She had all of these friends and everyone seemed to like her. I wanted to be her friend too.”

“Really?” The man smiled. “And what changed?”

“Well at first I didn’t notice what was happening. She would trip me when I was walking down the halls and laugh at me when I walked by. I didn’t really understand it. But then she started to corner me places and tell me to back off or else. She didn’t want me talking to her or any of her friends. I never understood what I did.” She began to tear up. “All I wanted was to be friends.”

“I’m sorry this happened to you Miss Rossi.” The man said. “But this did escalate further, correct?”

“Yes.” She sniffed. “I thought that it was over when she actually apologized for everything she did in front of the entire class one day but then she cornered me again after school and began to hit me over and over again.” She began to cry harder. “And then when I fell to the ground she began kicking me. I had to go limp so she would stop.”

“We have the pictures of what you looked like after this fight. Do you mind if we show the judge and Marinette what she did to you?”

“Sure.” She said sadly.

The lawyer handed a flash drive over the Judge and he plugged it in. A TV turned on that was on the wall behind the right side of the judge and the picture came onto screen shortly after.

Damian looked at the picture and at a quick glance it could be passable as real. But the longer he looked the more flaws he could see. There wasn’t enough swelling for how dark the bruising was and the cuts on her face wasn’t something that could be made by a punch or a kick. The blood was a bit too sticky looking and these kinds of cuts would leave scars. He looked over to Lila and wasn’t surprised that her face was blemish free. This was the one piece of evidence that their lawyers would have a hay day with.

“And when was this photo taken?” The balding lawyer asked.

“When I got home that night.” Lila frowned. “I had to stay home for two weeks after that so I could heal.”

“Now knowing what Marinette has done, would you want her to continue to live with these women, reformed or not?”

“No.” Lila sniffed. “If they have reformed then she might just make them bad again. Marinette has done terrible, terrible things to me.”

“Thank you, Miss Rossi.” The man nods. “I rest my case.”

“Permission to cross examine, your honor?” Harley and Ivy’s lawyer said.

“Go ahead.”

The lawyer walked up to Lila, who was still crying, and smiled. “Miss Rossi, are you aware that lying under oath is perjury?”

Damian saw her crying falter for a moment but then she continued.

“Yes.”

“Okay then. I should let you know that perjury is a third-degree felony and you can spend up to five years in prison. You have been warned.” He grinned before turning toward the picture on the screen. “You said Marinette did this to you, correct?”

“Yes.” Lila said confidently.

“I wasn’t aware Marinette did SFX makeup. She’s quite good at it.”

“W-what?” Lila went wide eyed. “No. That’s not makeup.”

“You said you took this picture when you got home that night. Now seeing as you went crying to Marinette’s house to show her parents we will say that it at least took you an hour to get home. Am I wrong? Or did it take you longer?”

“An hour, maybe an hour and a half.” Lila voice cracked. Damian could tell she had no idea where this was going and she was scared.

“Okay then.” The lawyer said. “By that time, your blood would have already clotted to stop the bleeding and by looking at this picture, you never wiped the blood away. You can tell by this picture that the blood is shiny. It’s still wet. A little too wet if you ask me. The color is also a little off. Would you like me to show you real injuries from actual MMA fights? Because we have those. We can compare and contrast.” He pulled out his own flash drive.

“Well…” Lila hesitated.

“If you aren’t lying like you said than this wouldn’t be a problem, correct?”

The judge suddenly spoke up. “I would like to compare this to real injuries.”

“Yes, your honor.” The lawyer handed him the flash drive. “Seeing as in Miss Rossi’s picture she has a cut across her forehead, why don’t you skip to the 8th picture on the drive? You will see a cut in a similar place made by a kick to the head.”

The judge pulls up the picture and puts is side by side with Lila’s picture.

“Now I want you to notice a few things. Do you see how in Miss Rossi’s picture the cut is open wide? It’s a bit exaggerated. A kick or even a punch wouldn’t do that. A knife, maybe but Lila mentioned no knife. She said Marinette punched and kicked her. Care to explain, Miss Rossi?”

“Well… I hit my head on the concrete when I fell.”

“Again, that would mean you were hit with a blunt object, not something sharp like a knife.”

“Uhh…”

“Moving on.” The lawyer said. “Your honor, if you would move to the 14th picture. That is an example of bruising on the face and hour after a fight.”

The judge moved to the next picture.

“Okay. Now, Miss Rossi. What’s the biggest difference you see between these two photos?”

Lila looked over at the photos and went as white as a sheet.

“That’s okay, Miss Rossi. I’ll tell you the difference. You see, the bruising is the same color but the swelling is not. That tells me right there that someone just put makeup on your face. Care to tell me who actually did that to your face?”

Lila suddenly began to cry very loudly.

“Miss Rossi.” The lawyer said calmly. “Crying will not help you. Either you tell me the truth or I ask the judge here to charge you with perjury.”

And then Lila burst into what Damian assumes is her genuine tears. She is an ugly crier. She made strange noises and even stranger faces.

“Your honor, I think that’s the cries of someone who has been caught red handed. I believe she has been caught lying under oath, do you agree?”

“I’m afraid you are right.” The judge sighed before turning to one of the officers in the court room. “Please arrest Miss Rossi. Make sure she gets her one phone call. I’m sure her mother would like to know what she did.”

“No!” Lila began to panic. “No, you can’t do this to me!” She tried to cringe away from the officer but he quickly grabbed ahold of her. “This is your fault, Marinette!” She screamed like a maniac as she was being hauled away. “I won’t forget this, you bitch!”

Damian watched as she left and he caught the sight of all of Marinette’s old classmates. They looked completely mortified and horrified. This wasn’t what they were expecting but this was exactly what Damian expected. He then looked over to Marinette’s parents and they were crying. He didn’t feel bad for them though. They did this to themselves.

“I guess that rests my case.” The lawyer said as soon as Lila was gone and the room was silent.

Tom and Sabine’s lawyer stood up before speaking. “I have no other witnesses.” He looked a bit shaken up. “That’s… all I got.” He sat in his chair in a heap.

“Okay.” The judge nodded before looking over to Harley and Ivy’s lawyer. “You may begin you side of the case now.”

“Okay.” The male lawyer spoke up. “I think it’s obvious by now that Lila Rossi is a liar and a manipulator. You can ask yourself why she did this but the answer is simple. Marinette did not fall for her lies. She is smart enough to see right through them. Her teachers, friends and parents though, they did not. It’s a shame, really. Her parents were supposed to support her and love her unconditionally. They didn’t though, as you can see. They took a strangers word and took everything away from their daughter. She had no friends, was bullied on a daily basis and she was trapped in her room with nothing but her bed to sleep on. And because of all of that, I would like to call Marinette up to the stand.”

Damian squeezed her hand once in comfort before she stood up. Damian looked up at her and he saw nothing but confidence as she made her way to the stand.

After Marinette was sworn in, the lawyer started his questioning. “Marinette, would you like to tell everyone how this all started?”

“I would.” She said. “The day Lila Rossi came to school she immediately started telling everyone all of these fantastical stories about all the famous people she knew and all of the cool things she has done. Everyone ate the stories up but I knew better, so I did my research. Every single thing she ever said was a lie, so I began to call her out on them. She didn’t like that very much and so one day she cornered me in the bathroom and told me to either shut up and do what she says or she would slowly turn everyone against me. I guess you can see where that led to. She held up her end of the bargain. Although if I’m being completely honest, I don’t think any of my friends were actually my friends. No real friend would so easily dismiss everything I’ve done and said just to listen to a liars pretty words. The same goes for Tom and Sabine. They aren’t truly my family. Family wouldn’t betray me like they have.”

Sabine suddenly began to sob in her husband’s arms.

The lawyer ignored that outburst and continued his questioning. “Can you tell me some of the things Miss Rossi did to you?”

“Of course. She spread lies about me all over the school, she framed me for things I never did and she constantly called me names. She even got everyone else at the school to bully me and call me names too. She liked it when other people did her dirty work for her, that way all she had to do was sit back and laugh.”

Damian heard a little bit of crying coming from behind him but he didn’t bother to look back at who it was. He did notice Marinette lock eyes with someone in the crowd though.

“And you know what the worst part is?” Marinette continued. “I told them all of this. Every single one of them. But did they listen? No. And now they have the audacity to cry about it. How pathetic…”

The lawyer nodded for a moment before speaking. “Let’s move on to your parents. What were some of their punishments for you?”

“Let’s see… at first it was no internet and then no phone and computer. I was grounded of course. I couldn’t leave the house unless I was going to school and I was never allowed to speak to anyone. They took away my sewing supplies and fabric. They would have taken away my right to design too but thankfully I could do that at school. They couldn’t stop me. Speaking of stopping me, they also put pad locks over my doors and windows so I wasn’t allowed to leave. Basically, I was imprisoned inside my own room with nothing and no one and I wasn’t free until they sent me away.”

“I rest my case.” The lawyer said. “Would you like to cross examine her?” He asked the opposing lawyer.

The balding man hesitated for a moment before nodding and standing up to slowly make his way in front of Marinette. “You said your parents put padlocks on your windows and doors, correct?”

“I’ll stop you right there.” Marinette said flatly. “Tom and Sabine resorted to that because I would leave when they told me not to. Yes, I disobeyed but that was because I needed to see something other than my room’s walls. I would go to the park and just look at the trees. I wasn’t going to get in anymore trouble anyways. I had nothing to lose. And you can blame them for me even learning how to lock pick. It never would have been a skill I acquired without their unneeded punishments.” She looked at the balding man with piercing eyes. “Do you have another question? Or something else to nitpick? Because I can tell you right now that Tom and Sabine do not deserve to have custody over me. My aunts do… No.” She switched over to English. “My mother’s do. I love them, not Tom and Sabine. They are the ones who gave me hope when Tom and Sabine took it away from me. I do not want to be Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I want to be Marinette Isley-Quinzel.”

There were a couple of confused faces about what she said but Damian saw the loving tears in both Harley and Ivy’s eyes. The female lawyer quickly stood up to translate what Marinette just said and then realization hit everyone else’s faces. Tom and Sabine looked completely heart broken, if not a little mortified.

The balding lawyer stared blankly in defeat before taking a seat.

“Now I know I probably don’t need to call up anymore witnesses but I believe Ms. Isley and Ms. Quinzel deserve their time on the stand. My colleague will translate for everyone.” Harley and Ivy’s lawyer said.

Marinette made her way back to the table and gave Harley and Ivy a hug before taking her seat next to Damian. Jason gave her a quick pat on the back before Damian took her hand again.

“You did great, Angel.” Damian whispered as Harley and Ivy were being sworn in.

“Thanks.” She said before looking over at her still sobbing parents. “I think I got my point across.”

Damian gave her a proud smile before looking back to the lawyer as he spoke up.

“Would you like to tell me why you two decided to sign up to the foster program for troubled teens?” He asked in English and then his colleague translated in French once he was done.

“Yes.” Ivy nods. “You see, Harley and I had a bit of a troubled childhood ourselves and we wanted the opportunity to prevent what happened to us to happen to someone else. We also wanted to settle down and have a somewhat normal life. This was our way of doing that. We were so happy when we heard of our acceptance.”

The lawyer waited for the translation to finish before he spoke again. “What were your first thoughts of Marinette when you met her?”

Harley spoke up this time. “Besides the fact that she is one of the most lovely girls I have ever seen, I realized that she was also very hurt. She begged for us to never lie to her and I knew right then and there that she wasn’t who her parents said she was. She was genuine and sweet. I’ve never met a girl so beaten down, yet so brave. Her parents could have easily set her up for some terrible psychological damage but she was mentally strong enough to not give in. She knew what was right and what was wrong and honestly I strive every day to be like her. I may be the one with a doctorate but she is the one to learn from.”

After the translation, the lawyer continued. “Why do you think you deserve custody over her?”

“Besides the fact that that’s what she wants and what will make her happy?” Ivy said. “We love her and we have loved her since the day we met her. We never turned her away because she was too much trouble and we never will. We will listen to her and always do that’s best for her. Isn’t that what a good parent is supposed to do?”

“You are right, Ms. Isley. Is there anything else either of you would like to add before I let you be cross examined?”

“Yes.” Harley said. “For a while there I thought that Ivy here was the best thing to ever happen to me. Now I realize though that she was just the beginning. The family I have started with her and Marinette truly is the best thing to ever happen to me.”

Damian watched as Marinette smiled at the two women and he was suddenly very thankful to the two of them. Without them, he would never have met his Angel and without them, Marinette may have never gotten that sense of family she deserved. He knows Marinette loves them and so he could never hate anything his Angel genuinely loves so dearly. It would be a disservice to her.

Damian’s attention went back to the stand when the other lawyer made his approach to the women. Damian saw the man’s legs shake as he looked at the two of them. Damian almost wanted to laugh at the way Ivy and Harley were smirking at the balding man. He was absolutely terrified of them.

“You were… were criminals?” He asked.

“Yep!” Harley said cheerfully after the translation. “What’s yer point, baldie? We did our time. I thought that was already established. Or did ya forget?”

The man seemed confused by the translation. “I did not forget.”

“Okay then.” Ivy smiled. “So what is your point then?”

The man looked back at Tom and Sabine who were still crying and had a look of defeat. He then looked back at Harley and Ivy and sighed. “Nothing. I have no point anymore.” He said before going back to his seat.

“I believe that concludes everything, your honor.” Harley and Ivy’s lawyer said after the women took their own seats as well.

“Then it’s time I’ve made my verdict.” The judge said. “I hereby grant the custody of Marinette Dupain-Cheng over to Harleen Quinzel and Pamela Isley. As requested upon winning the case, the child’s name will be changed to Marinette Isley-Quinzel.” He hit his gavel once before standing up and walking off out the judge’s door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was going to be even longer but I felt it was best to end it here before it got too out of hand. Hope you enjoyed!


	37. Chapter 37

As soon as the judge was gone, Marinette stood up and quickly gave Harley and Ivy a hug. Damian was happy to have witnessed this moment. He knew his Angel was free from her biological parents and the liar who put her in this predicament in the first place. He couldn’t be happier for her.

After Marinette was done hugging Harley and Ivy, she then walked up the lawyers to also give them a hug. Damian wanted to laugh at their surprised faces. These professional lawyers did not expect this but no one could deny Marinette’s charm and they too, hugged her back.

And then she made her way back to Damian and Jason and pulled the two of them into a hug.

“It’s good to see you so happy, Pixie-Pop.” Jason laughed as he patted her on the back. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks, Jay.” She then let go of them both to hold onto Damian’s hand. “We did it!” She smiled brightly. “Can you believe it?”

“I told you we would, Sweetie.” Harley said as she and Ivy stood in front of the two teens. “And you called us your mothers? Red, we just upgraded!”

“We did, Harls.” Ivy smiled down at the bluenette. “And we couldn’t ask for a better daughter.”

Marinette beamed up at the women with a proud smile.

“Oh!” Harley exclaimed. “Can I be called mama? Don’t stick me with a stiff name like mother.” She laughed.

“Sure.” The bluenette giggled. “I’d like that.”

“What about you, babe?” Harley asked as she looked over to Ivy.

“Marigold can call me what she likes.” Ivy gently patted Marinette on the head. “Whatever she is comfortable with.”

Damian was smiling at the whole interaction but he then heard someone approaching him from behind and turned around to look. Marinette turned around too and they both saw that it was Tom and Sabine, looking rather upset.

“Marinette.” Sabine said. “We’re… so sorry.”

“You should be, Sabine.” Marinette said flatly.

“Marinette…” Tom said sadly as he reached out to touch her.

Damian was quick to grab him by the wrist to stop him. “I would suggest you keep your hands off of her or you will be seeing another lawsuit.” He then flung his arm back at the man. “She is no longer your daughter so mind yourself.”

Tom looked a little offended as he rubbed his wrist where Damian just held. “Who are you to her anyways?”

“This is my boyfriend, Tom.” Marinette said.

“Aren’t you Damian Wayne?” Sabine asked. “The son of Bruce Wayne?”

“Yes he is.” Jason spoke up as he glared at the two of them. “And I think our father wouldn’t very much care for the way you are treating his youngest son’s girlfriend. He’s quite the family man, you see. Very unlike the two of you, he actually cares about Marinette.”

The two of them looked appalled and a little bit ashamed by Jason’s words.

Harley and Ivy stepped up beside the teens and looked over at both Tom and Sabine in anger. “What are they saying, Marinette?” Ivy asked in English. 

“Nothing that important.” Marinette says in English before turning back to Tom and Sabine to talk to them in French. “Is there something you want?”

“Marinette, we have realized our mistake.” Sabine said with tears in her eyes. “And we are sorry. We want to make this right. We want you in our lives.”

Marinette suddenly looked very angry at them. “Well maybe you should have thought about what your actions did to me. You want to make this right? Stay out of my life. I told you the truth at every opportunity but you refused to listen. And now that Lila is going to jail you want to apologize? No. It’s too late for that. You casted me out and you sent me far away from you. You can’t be upset that I chose to go to a family that believed me from the beginning. You did this to yourself and you have to live with the consequences.”

“But…” Tom began.

“But!? But what?” Marinette shook her head. “This should be good…”

“You are our daughter, Marinette.” Tom said in a scolding voice. “We brought you into this world. It’s not right for you to choose this life with these women. You haven’t even known them for that long. They can turn on you in an instant.”

“Oh, you mean like you did?” Marinette raised her eyebrow at him. “And I’m not your daughter anymore. I don’t care about the DNA we share. It makes no difference.” She then stepped up to the large man and pointed a finger at him. “And talk badly about my mother’s one more time and we are going to have a serious problem.”

“Your mothers?” Sabine spoke up. “They didn’t give birth to you, I did.”

“And they loved me and believed me and took care of me when you didn’t. I think that makes them more of a mother than you ever will.” Marinette shook her head. “Now I think you should go. Don’t you have a bakery to run or something?”

They stared at Marinette for a long moment before reluctantly walking away.

“Oh, I don’t know what they were sayin’ but I really wanted to punch their lights out.” Harley huffed.

“I think you would have if you could understand them.” Jason said. “I don’t think they like the two of you too much.”

“Good.” Harley smiled. “Cause I don’t like ‘em either.”

Marinette giggled before looking behind them at the people still in the room. Damian noticed her lock eyes with a few students and her smile faded and she now looked utterly serious.

“We don’t have to talk to them, Angel.” Damian said.

“No. I want to hear what they have to say.” She squeezed his hand before the whole group made their way over to the teenagers.

Marinette stopped in front of the girl with glasses and just stared, seemingly waiting for her to say something.

“You… didn’t have to send Lila to jail.” She said.

“You really aren’t that dense, are you Alya?” Marinette shook her head. “You think I sent her to jail? You think I told her to lie to absolutely everyone she met? You think I told her to ruin every relationship I ever had in this city?”

“Well no but she doesn’t deserve to go to jail.” Alya said.

“So you think she should be above the law?”

Alya cringed away at that. “No…”

“She lied under oath, Alya. She did that, not me. Why are you defending her?”

“I… don’t know. I just… can’t believe it.”

“You can’t believe what? Every fact I have ever told you? I never lied to you Alya, even after all of the mean and hateful things you have done to me. Or is it that you can’t believe who you have become. Because I know you were once a girl who always sought out the truth no matter what. You know, at first I couldn’t believe what you have become either. You were my best friend and I could no longer recognize you. I still can’t recognize you.”

“Marinette.” A small blonde girl spoke up. “I am so sorry. I should have believed you.”

“Yes, Rose.” She nods. “You should have. All of you should have. But you didn’t.”

“I’m sorry I turned Luka against you.” Another girl, tall with purple hair, had said. “And he really liked you. I hurt both of you because of Lila.” She began to tear up.

“Lila isn’t the only one to blame though, Juleka. I told every single one of you the truth and all of you chose the lies. That’s on you.”

“And we are so sorry, dudette.” The boy with the cap and glasses says. “That was totally not cool of us, man.”

“Marinette…” Alya spoke up again. “I’m sorry I bullied you. I really thought everything Lila said was true. I thought you turned into this evil person.”

Marinette looked at her for a long moment before sighing. “Even if you thought that everything Lila said was true I thought you would have known better to not fight fire with fire. No matter what you all said to me or did to me I never once bullied you back. I never once played into Lila’s game when all of you did. You should strive to be better.”

Every single one of them looked ashamed but Damian couldn’t feel pity for them. They did this to themselves and Damian knew that they all lost a very special person in their lives. Anybody would be lucky to have Marinette as a friend.

“Are we ready to go?” Marinette looked back at everyone.

“You bet, Pixie-Pop. Let’s go celebrate.” Jason grinned.

“That’s not a bad idea.” Harley grinned. “It’s time that Marinette celebrates becoming an Isley-Quinzel.”

“Awesome!” Marinette giggles. “Let me show you around the city.”

“We should head back to the hotel and inform Mr. Wayne of our success.” The female lawyer said.

“Take the limo.” Marinette said as they all began to make their way out of the court house. “Walking around the city is more fun anyways.”  
\---------  
Marinette showed everyone around to all of her favorite places of the city. She would walk around and tell stories of what she would do at all of these different places. Damian would enjoy picturing these stories in his head and would laugh at the way she would describe her awkwardness.

She was in the middle of one of her stories when she suddenly came to a stop and smiled brightly across the street. Damian followed her line of sight to see an ice cream cart ran by a large plump man.

“Andre!” She waved and the man looked up and gave a surprised smile. “Come on.” She waved everybody on as she crossed the street to the man.

“You want some ice cream, Marigold?” Ivy asked as they stopped at the cart.

“This isn’t just any ice cream.” Marinette grinned. “This is Andre’s sweetheart ice cream. He specializes in making ice cream for couples.”

“Great…” Jason rolls his eyes.

“Marinette!” Andre said. “I haven’t seen you in so long.” He looked down to where Marinette’s hand held Damian’s and grinned before looking up at Damian. “I have not seen this face before. I sense a strong pairing with you two.”

“Andre, this is Damian. He’s my boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend!” He gives a hearty laugh. “This is wonderful to hear. Would you like Andre to make the couple some ice cream?”

“Yes, please.” Marinette said eagerly.

The man turned to the cart a picked up a cone and an ice cream scooper and reached into the cart to scoop the first scoop. “One scoop of black coconut ash for his dark past.” He then reached down for the next scoop. “And one scoop of red raspberry for her passion that soothes his heart.” He put two little spoons in it before handing it over. “Enjoy!”

Damian stared at the ice cream that he handed Marinette and then back to Andre. He was confused as to why something as trivial as ice cream could be so spot on about him.

Marinette walked up to Damian with the ice cream in hand and held it up between them. “Come on, you have to try it with me.”

“Okay.” Damian grinned. But before he could reach for one of the spoons Marinette beat him to it and quickly plopped the spoon in his mouth.

“Well?” Marinette grinned as she pulled the spoon back. “Do you like it?”

“I suppose it’s pretty good.” Damian grinned down at her as she began to take her own bite.

“Oh!” Marinette suddenly turned to Harley and Ivy. “You guys have to try your own too.”

“I don’t know if you have noticed Pixie-Pop, but I’m running solo here.”

“That doesn’t matter.” Marinette then turned back to Andre. “Can you make some for my mom’s and Jason over there?”

Andre nods before glancing over at the women first and then grabbing a cone. “One scoop of pink and blue cotton candy for her fun attitude.” He scoops it on the cone before scooping the second one. “And one scoop of green mint for her serene nature. One might call this an odd pairing but they complement each other nicely.”

Marinette translates for them as they receive their ice cream.

“Wow, Red. How neat!” Harley grins as she takes a bite. “Not bad, not bad.”

“And for you.” Andre turns to Jason.

“Oh, great.” Jason sighs. “Way to make me feel like a fifth wheel, Pixie-Pop.”

“Just listen, Jay.” Marinette shakes her head as she takes another bite with Damian.

Andre stares at him for a moment before turning to scoop some ice cream on another cone. “One scoop of cherry red for the rage he hides deep down.” He reaches down to scoop another. “And one scoop of golden vanilla for the shield she wears to give him hope.”

Damian watches as Jason’s expression turns to shock. “What?” Jason asks as he takes the ice cream.

“I assume you know who I am speaking of?” Andre smiles at him. “Your heart sings out for her.”

“Uhh.” Jason just stares at the ice cream.

“Enjoy!” Andre says before going back to his cart.

Damian watched as Jason slowly began to eat his ice cream and he had a feeling about who this was about. He never realized that Jason liked Kara of all people but then again Damian never really chose to look into it. Kara was definitely the only person that fit the description though. The gold that was on her “S” shield that Super Girl wore did symbolize hope. There was no other person it could be.

Jason then looked up at Damian and Damian knew he was right. The look he gave proved that point. It was a look that said “you better keep your mouth shut”.

“You know who Andre was talking about, don’t you?” Marinette whispered into Damian’s ear.

“Yes.” Damian smiled down at her. “But I don’t think he wants me sharing.”

“Hmm…” Marinette nods before looking over to Jason and then back to Damian. “But I can keep a secret.”

“Okay.” Damian grinned. “It’s Super Girl.”

Marinette gasps before looking over at Jason and he immediately frowns, seemingly knowing what was already said.

“I swear to God, Demon Spawn, I will hurt you.”

“No you won’t.” Marinette grins. “But you seriously like her? I mean, I get it. She’s super pretty but I was imagining you with some girl covered in tats who beats up men at bars for fun.”

“I mean that second part is right but…” Jason grins.

“Are you going to share with the rest of us?” Harley asks.

“No, I promised I would keep it a secret.” Marinette says.

“Bummer.” Harley frowns. “I kinda want to meet this girl who would beat up men at bars for fun. I’d like to join.”

And then everyone laughed.


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING!  
> This chapter is purely smut and nothing else so if this isn't your cup of tea then do not read.

Marinette’s heart was beating out of her chest as she thought about what she was about to do. About an hour ago she snuck out of the hotel and went down the street to the 24/7 convenient store to buy some condoms. She didn’t like the knowing look the cashier gave her when he rang her up. There was no hiding what she was going to do tonight.

Before she left for Paris she bought a new pair of matching bra and panties. They were an all-black lacy number that she thought Damian would like. She stared at herself in her hotel room’s mirror and took a deep breath as she summoned some of her Ladybug bravery. This would be a first for her and she was determined to see this through. She was ready.

Marinette grabbed the hotel robe and put it on, tying it tightly around her waist. The robe had pockets so she quickly grabbed a condom to hide it away inside before looking back at the mirror. If anyone caught her out in the hallway she wouldn’t look indecent, only comfortable. Still, she’d rather not want to run into anyone on her way to Damian’s door.

She turned away from the mirror and looked over at Tikki who gave her an encouraging smile. Tikki had told her that this would be a magical night and that she should have fun. She was appreciative that Tikki didn’t make things awkward when she told her about this. Tikki is her best friend who she can tell anything to.

With slow and steady steps, Marinette made her way to the door and cracked it open to look out. She found the hallway to be empty so she shuffled out and made her way to Damian’s door. After another deep breath, she gently knocked twice.

She counted 33 seconds before the door opened up and she saw Damian on the other side, shirtless and only wearing sweat pants. He looked as though she had just woke him up. Her eyes glanced down at the sight of his abs and she stopped herself from reaching out to touch him.

“Hello, Angel.” He smiled down at her.

Without speaking, she quickly slipped her way inside his room and shut the door behind her.

“Is something wrong?” He asked when she looked back at him.

“No.” She said. She was surprised by the calmness in her voice. She didn’t feel calm. “I just… wanted to do something.”

“Okay.” He smiled, but she could tell there was confusion behind his eyes. “What is it you wanted to do?”

Marinette reached out for his hand but instead of holding it, she turned his palm face up as she dug her hand inside her pocket to pull out the condom. She set the foil wrapper in his hand and the moment he looked down to see what it was, she untied the robe and let it hit the floor at her feet.

She watched as Damian stared at the condom in surprise and the moment he looked back up at her, she smiled.

“You.” She said.

Marinette didn’t miss the way his eyes turned to hunger as he realized what was happening. His eyes studied her body up and down like he was trying to memorize the sight before him so he could recall this moment whenever he wanted. She felt insanely powerful and insanely sexy.

And then he started talking in a language she didn’t understand. It was a beautiful language, whatever it was, and the way his voice turned husky almost had her weak in the knees. She wanted him to talk like that to her all the time.

Moments later, he switched back to English. “You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?”

“No.” She answered with a smile. “I’m trying to have sex with you.”

Damian’s hungry eyes switched to playful determination as he finally curled his fingers around the condom and stepped up to her. Their mouths met in a passionate kiss and Marinette ran her fingers through his hair, grabbing a handful and gently tugging.

Damian pulled away for a second as he ran his hand down the side of her body, stopping at her hip. “Pull harder.” He commanded.

She did as he said and a pleased hum left his mouth before he reached down to grab her by the thighs to hoist her up. Marinette no longer had to look up to kiss him and she left one hand tugging at his hair while the other slid down his chest.

Marinette didn’t even realize they had moved until her back hit the mattress and he was now hovering above her. His lips moved away from hers and he trailed kisses down her jaw and to her neck. One of his hands held up his weight on the mattress while the other grasped at her thigh and the whole time his kisses traveled lower and lower.

Her breathing hitched when his mouth found her breasts and she grabbed another fist full of hair out of pure reflex. Damian let out a playful growl before pulling at the strap of her bra.

“Off.” He commanded.

Marinette arched her back to reach behind her and undid the clasp. Damian saw her success and pulled it off the rest of the way, tossing it behind him without a thought. His eyes lingered on her bare chest and he gave a pleased smile before grabbing a handful and squeezing.

Marinette didn’t expect to be so pleased by this so it even surprised her when a moan escaped her lips. She quickly clasped her hand over her mouth.

“No.” Damian pulled her hand away. “I loved that sound you just made.” He ran his thumb across her nipple before squeezing again, coaxing another sound from her lips. “You’re driving me wild.”

Damian rocked his hips into hers and she felt the noticeable bulge and became very eager for more, almost needy. Her thoughts were foggy with anticipation as he ran his hands all over her body, leaving her shuttering with pleasure when his thumb found its way under the fabric of her panties.

He stood up at the edge of the bed and looked at her. Two things caught Marinette’s attention. One was the way he was looking at her. It was like he was a starving man who had just stumbled onto an all you can eat buffet. The second thing she noticed was his bulge. His sweat pants, which were loose before, looked uncomfortably tight now.

Damian tugged at her panties until they were free from her body and then dropped them to the floor. Marinette had never felt so exposed yet so safe at the same time and she wasn’t embarrassed when his eyes looked her over from where he stood.

He leaned back over her and ran both of his hands down the side of her body as he kissed her deeply. He grabbed into her thighs and guided them apart before finding her already wet. Marinette moaned into his mouth when she felt him slip a finger inside her.

He found a steady rhythm and she bucked against him as her nails ran down the length of his back. He moaned in pleasure at that and he slipped another finger in and this time she was gripping at the sheets as his fingers did their work.

“Damian!” She moaned and his fingers moved faster as his mouth found her breast. “I’m… Oh! I’m going to…”

A whole body spasm rocked through Marinette’s body as she felt herself orgasm and she screamed his name one more time. Damian stood up to pulled his hand back and it was slick and wet. She watched with heavy lidded eyes as he stuck each finger in his mouth, licking them clean. 

Marinette caught her breath for a moment before sitting up on the bed and reached for the hem of his pants, hooking her thumbs under the waistband of his boxers. She looked up at him for a moment and she found him staring in complete interest. She gave him a smile before looking back to his bulge and pulling down his pants.

Her eyes went wide with excitement when his package sprang free. She felt pride in knowing she was able to do this to him. Marinette let his pants fall to the floor and she tentatively reached out to run her finger down the length of his shaft before looking back up at him. He was biting his lip.

“You are trying to kill me.” He said.

“No.” Marinette stood up on weak legs and kissed him before spinning him around and pushing him onto the bed. “That’s not my intention.” She climbed her way on top of him and firmly grasped his dick, slowly moving her hand up his length as he let out a low moan. “Now, where’s the condom?”

Marinette watched as Damian fumbled for a moment before finding it in the sheets where he dropped it.

“Good.” Marinette plucked it from his hand and opened it. With steady hands, she placed it on his tip and rolled it down his length and then smiled, pleased with her work.

Marinette leaned forward and kissed him on the lips before lining herself up and lowering onto him. She kept eye contact with him as she did this and stopped half way for a moment before lowering all the way down. She stayed that way for a moment to get used to the feeling of him inside her.

“Give me a second.” She said breathlessly.

Damian nodded although she could tell he wanted her to move. Slowly, almost tantalizingly so, she did begin to move. Damian moved his hands to her hips as she began to ride him and Marinette bit her lip as she began to feel pleasure arise.

Her rhythm was slow at first but over time she began to quicken. Damian’s hold on her hips tightened and they both began to grunt and moan in ecstasy. There were no thoughts in Marinette’s head, only action. She couldn’t even tell you the time, she was that out of it.

“Angel.” Damian said with his eyes closed. It looked to Marinette like he was concentrating on something. “I’m going to…”

“Not yet.” She ordered as she quickened the pace. “I’m almost there.” She panted.

Damian’s grip on her tightened even more and Marinette could tell that he was barely holding on. The looks he was making and the way he was saying her name with the combination of her riding him was finally enough to push her to her second orgasm. And then Damian finally came and Marinette enjoyed every moment of it. 

Marinette was exhausted and barley managed to get herself off of Damian as she flopped onto the pillow. She felt Damian move off the bed and do something by the bedside table but she wasn’t quite able to open her eyes yet.

After a moment she felt Damian lay on the bed next to her. She managed to open her eyes to look over at him and she smiled. His hair was a mess and he was shining with sweat and she was sure she was too.

“We should do this again sometime.” She whispered.

“Name a time and a place.” He grinned. “I’ll be there.”

Marinette gave an agreeing hum.

“You know.” Damian lightly trailed a finger down her arm. “I really thought I was dreaming there for a moment. I’m glad I wasn’t.”

“You have dreams like this about me?”

“For about the past week, yes.” He intertwines their fingers. “It’s almost every night.”

“It’s nice to know I’m not the only one.” Marinette laughed. “I was driving myself insane. I was going to do this tonight, no matter what.”

“Where did you get the condom?” He asked.

“I snuck out a little bit ago and went to the convenient store down the road to get them. The cashier gave me a knowing look.” She giggled. “I had this all planned out.”

“You must have been very determined.” Damian smirked before kissing the back of her hand. “I’m flattered you wanted me this much.”

“Have you looked in a mirror, Damian? Of course I want you. I would have to be blind not to.”

“I think that’s supposed to be my line.” Damian glanced over her body. “No one should be as beautiful as you. I would hate for you to be tempting other people.”

“Well you are the only person who can have me this way. I’m not going to tempt other people, only you.”

“Good.” Damian smirked. “Because you’re mine now.”

“I like the sound of that as long as that means that you are also mine.”

“Of course. That’s not even a question. I will always be yours.”


	39. Chapter 39

Damian woke up to the orange glow of the sunrise streaming through his hotel window and he looked to his left to see Marinette sleeping next to him. Memories of last night flooded his mind and he smiled at the thought of every one of them.

He had explored new parts of her that he will never forget, like the way she felt and the way she tastes. Even the way she sounds. He remembered them with perfect recall as he looked at her peaceful, sleeping face. He had never known someone to be so beautiful in every way possible.

Damian reached out to touch her and trailed his hand down the side of her body with a feather light touch. His eyes followed where he touched as he went down to her waist and then slowly up her hips before he stopped. He found light purple bruises on her hips and he looked down to find them on her thighs as well. He held his hand up to them to find that they matched perfectly to his fingertips.

Damian frowned as he recalled the moments where he held onto her. He didn’t think he was holding her that hard and he couldn’t find a moment where she ever complained.

“Why the long face?” Marinette said and he looked up at her to see that she looked worried for him.

He lightly trailed his fingers over the bruises to show his point. “I’m sorry.”

Marinette sat up on her elbow to look down at herself and she lightly poked the bruises before shaking her head and smiling. “Don’t be sorry.” She reached for Damian’s hand. “I really don’t mind.” She takes his hand and lines up his fingers over each bruise. “And I don’t remember ever feeling hurt. I just wanted you to hold me tighter.”

Damian’s frown fades and he cracks a smile. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” She grins. “And besides, these are easy to cover up. It’ll be our little secret.”

“If you insist.” Damian chuckles before leaning down to kiss her. “You know, you’re quite the sight in the morning. This is something I could get used to.”

“Mmm.” Marinette’s eyes look down his body and back up again. “Touché. One look at you and you instantly brighten my mood.” 

“Careful what you say to me Angel, or you might brighten my mood too much. We still need to get you back over to your own room before anyone notices.”

Marinette flops onto her back and sighs up at the ceiling. “You’re right. I don’t want you to be but you are.”

Damian laughs before sitting up and looking around the room. The sight of clothing flung all around the room makes him smile even more. And then Marinette gasps from beside him.

He looks down at her to see her eyes have gone wide as she looked up into his eyes. “What?” He asked.

She quickly stands up and takes his hand to drag him off the bed. She walks a few feet over to the mirror before turning his back towards the mirror and pointing. “Look.”

Damian looks over his shoulder to see his back in the reflection. In four parallel lines on either side of his back, making eight in total, are striking red scratch marks starting from his shoulders and going all the way to his lower back. He reached over to touch them and feels the rise of his skin over each one.

“Wow.” Damian says before turning back to Marinette. “I kind of like it.” He smirks.

“Like it?” She giggles. “It looks like I attacked you.”

“You kind of did.” Damian chuckles. “And look at yourself. I didn’t know we were a couple of masochists.”

“Says the guy who likes it when I pull his hair.” She smirks back at him.

“I see your point.” Damian says as he reaches down to pick up a piece of clothing. It was a bra so he handed it over to her. “Although I wouldn’t say I was in pain. I have a high pain tolerance so it would have to be a lot to hurt me.”

“Are you saying you want me to hurt you?” She asks as she begins to put her bra on.

Damian thinks about that for a moment as he watches her. “No…”

“You sound unsure about that.” Marinette walks over to the other side of the room and picks up Damian’s clothes and throws them at him. He catches them reflexively.

Damian begins to put them on without thinking. “Do I?” He looks around the room for more clothes.

Marinette found her panties and put them on. “It sounds to me like you are really thinking about the idea.”

Damian found her robe by the door and picks it up to bring it to her. “I think I just like the idea of a strong woman.” Damian whispers in her ear as he helps her put the robe on. He spins her around to face him and he gently begins to tie the robe for her. “Which you already are so that idea is already a reality.” He looked up at her face to see her blushing.

“I… have a question.” She whispered.

“What is it?” He asked as he began to fix her hair the best he could.

“When I first came over last night and told you what I was doing, you started speaking in a language I didn’t understand. What did you say?”

“Well…” Damian hesitates for a moment. He was hoping she wouldn’t ask this question. He went on a long spiel about how sexy she was and what she was doing to him in that moment. He ended it all by saying that he loved her but he knew it was too early to say such a thing. Maybe that was why he told her in a language she wouldn’t understand. No one would know but him. “I… was speaking in Arabic. I was telling you how beautiful you are and that you were doing things to me that no other person can.”

Marinette smiled and reached up on her toes to give him a kiss. “You’re very sweet.”

Damian chuckled. “Only for you.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.” She sighed. “I have to go but I’ll see you soon for breakfast in half an hour?”

“Of course.” He walked with her to his door.

Damian watched as she opened the door and she took one step into the hallway before freezing where she stood to look to the right.

“Hey there, Pixie-Pop.” Damian heard Jason speak up and he poked his head out of the door to look. “Did you sleep well?” He smirked.

“Uhh…” Marinette smiled awkwardly at him before looking back to Damian for help.

Damian opened his door the rest of the way so he could glare at Jason. “Just ignore him, Angel.”

“You know,” Jason leaned against the wall by his door. “Sometimes ignoring doesn’t help, trust me. I could hear the two of you last night and trying to ignore it just wasn’t working. It sounded like you both had fun though.” He laughed. “More fun than I was having, that’s for sure.”

“Oh my God.” Marinette hid her face behind her hands as she began to blush in embarrassment.

“Come on, Angel.” Damian whispered to her as he walked her to her door. She quickly shuffled in and shut the door behind her.

When Damian turned back to look at Jason his eyes were wide with shock and that’s when he remembered he was still shirtless and the marks on his back weren’t covered up.

“Damn!” Jason let out a low whistle. “I’m a little proud of you right now.”

Damian looked at him in confusion. Of all the reactions, he didn’t expect this one.

“You didn’t get her pregnant, did you?”

“What? No! I’m not an idiot, Todd.”

Jason nods like he approves. “Okay, well I’m going to tell Dick about this.”

“What!? But I thought you weren’t my keeper.”

“I’m not going to tell everyone about the dates you have planned, but this? No, I’m sharing this information.” He laughs before walking off down the hall.

Damian would chase after him but he knows that he shouldn’t, seeing as he was currently shirtless. He huffs in annoyance before turning back to his room and entering. He’s quick to find a clean pair of clothes and takes a shower.

As soon as he exits his hotel room, he sees Marinette exiting hers. Without a word, they take each other’s hand and begin to walk together to the dining hall.

When they enter the dining hall they see that everyone else is already there and seated at a table talking to each other, even the lawyers. Marinette drags Damian over to the buffet table and they each begin to put food on their plates before finding a seat with everyone else.

“Good mornin’, Sweetheart!” Harley said as they sat down. “We are leaving for Gotham in a few hours. How ya feelin’?”

“Pretty good.” Marinette said with a smile.

“Oh, I’m sure.” Jason smirked.

Damian gave him the death glare but only him and Marinette seems to have gotten that joke. Before anything else could be said though, Chloe came walking up to the table.

“Uhh, Marinette.” She said as she eyed everyone at the table.

“Yes, Chloe?” Marinette said.

“Daddy wanted me to tell you that you have caused a disturbance outside the hotel. My entire class is out there and then some.”

Marinette frowned. “What do they want?”

“Word traveled fast about what happened with Lila.” Chloe shrugged. “I’m sure it has something to do with that. But they are a bunch of idiots if you ask me. They deserve no sympathy.”

The bluenette sighed. “Thanks for the heads up, Chloe. We’ll be leaving the hotel in just over an hour. They should leave when I leave.”

“Make sure you give them hell when you do.” Chloe smirks. 

Marinette smiles at that. “I might just do that.”

The blonde nods before walking off.

“What was that about?” Ivy asks.

“Apparently a lot of my old class and then some are waiting outside the hotel for us and Chloe was giving me a heads up.” Marinette shrugged. “That should be fun.”  
\---------  
Everyone was in the elevator making their way down to the lobby to leave the hotel and Damian noticed the determination on Marinette’s face as the doors opened for them. He looked out the front doors and barely saw the limo parked out there because of all the people standing in front of it.

He recognized some of the faces from the court house but some faces were new. The whole group made their way out the doors and the moment they did the crowd burst into apologies.

“I’m sorry.” Alya said. “I told everyone the truth.”

“I should have known better.” A dark skinned boy with glasses said.

“I feel like a total jerk.” A small girl with pink hair said.

“Stop it!” Marinette ordered and everyone fell silent. “I understand you all are sorry and you should be but I’m not going to so easily forgive you. I will however not hold a grudge. I’ll never understand being so ignorant and naive but I won’t hold that against you.”

It was quiet for a long moment before a tall boy with blue hair and a guitar on his back stepped up to the bluenette. He reached out to put a hand on her shoulder and Damian gave him the death glare so he instinctually flinched away. He looked at Damian and then down at his and Marinette’s joined hands before looking back to her.

“Marinette, I failed you. I knew you were a good and genuine person but I chose to listen to my family over my heart.”

“I know, Luka.” Marinette says. “But I think it worked out for the best for me.”

“I see that.” Luka looked back at Damian and then over to her again. “His tune is very somber yet intense but it harmonizes perfectly with your own.”

By now the limo driver made his way to the door and opened it up for them.

“I know.” Marinette looks up at Damian with a smile and he smiles in return. “Now if you all will excuse me, I have a flight home to Gotham to catch. And remember to not blindly trust someone just because their stories sound nice.” She says as she looks back at everyone else before ducking into the limo, dragging Damian behind her.

Everyone else piles in behind them and Damian watched as everyone outside stares at the limo with a dumbfounded expression, like they didn’t expect Marinette to be so blunt. He expected nothing less though. She sighed when the Limo began to pull away.

“Glad this is over.” Marinette said. “I’m ready to go home.”

“Bruce is going to have some work for you over the next week though. You know this, right?” Jason asked.

Marinette grinned. “Yeah. I look forward to it.”

“Oh, after school boot camp with Brucie!” Harley laughs. “You think you’ll be able to punch him in the face?”

“Why is that always your first though, babe?” Ivy shakes her head with a smile.

“She might depending on how well she does.” Jason grins.

“Say you’ll at least try to punch him in the face. Do it for mama?” She smiles at the bluenette.

Marinette laughs for a moment. “Maybe I will try.”

“I bid you good luck with that, Angel.” Damian smiled.

“You are wishing me luck?” Marinette smirks. “Look at who you are talking to. I carry luck around with me everywhere I go. In fact, she’s in my purse right now.”

Damian couldn’t help but to smile at that because that was in fact true. It was easy to forget sometimes though.


	40. Chapter 40

The flight home from Paris was relaxing to Damian. Never in a million years did he think he would so casually hold hands with a girl while his brother and her mother’s sat close by with strangely enough, his father’s lawyers as well. Past Damian would be so confused by the way his life has turned out. He couldn’t be happier though.

Damian could sense everyone’s eagerness to get off the plane when Gotham came into view on the horizon. It seemed he wasn’t the only one ready to be home. His Angel was ready to start her life as “Marinette Isley-Quinzel”. That’s practically all she was talking about during the entire flight, not that Damian could blame her. He was happy for her.

The lawyers quickly parted from the group with a quick goodbye the moment they landed.

“Home sweet home.” Marinette said cheerfully as they got off the plane. “I’m so glad to be back in Gotham.”

“You and I both, Pixie-Pop.” Jason said as he looked at his phone. “Alfred is already here to pick us up by the way.”

Damian nods as he turns his attention to Marinette. “It looks like we have to part ways. I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

“Wouldn’t miss it.” Marinette gives him a quick goodbye kiss before walking over to Harley and Ivy.

Damian waves as he watches her leave in the direction of the airport parking garage where no doubt Harley and Ivy parked their car.

“So,” Jason said, breaking Damian out of his thoughts. “Now that they are gone it looks like we can talk about what happened last night.” He smirked as he threw his arm around his shoulders to begin walking in the direction of the exit.

Damian’s face turned to annoyance as he slapped his arm away. “Must you always be like this?”

“Like what?” Jason’s smirk still hadn’t faded. “Little Demon Spawn has just lost his virginity and you expect me to what? Act like everything is normal?”

“Everything is normal.” Damian scoffed.

“Those scratches on your back make me think otherwise.” Jason chuckled. “Oh and there’s Alfred.” He pointed to the man in question. “Should we ask him what he thinks about all of this?”

“What I think about what?” Alfred asked when they approached.

“Demon Spawn here…” Jason began to speak but Damian quickly elbowed him in the gut to silence him.

Alfred looked skeptically between the two of them. “Everything went well with Miss Marinette, correct?”

“I think it went very well for her.” Jason smirked as he rubbed the spot where Damian elbowed him. “And Harley and Ivy won the court case so that’s a positive as well.”

“So something else happened?” Alfred asked as they made their way to the exit.

“Oh, something else definitely happened. Isn’t that right, Demon Spawn?”

“You are lucky we are in a public place.” Damian said in annoyance.

Alfred only side eyed them both before stopping in front of the limo and opening the door for them. “Well everyone back at the manor is happily awaiting your return. They are eager to hear about what happened.”

“Well I’m eager to tell.” Jason laughed as he ducked into the limo.

“Why are you so annoying?” Damian scoffed as he got in after him.

Alfred lightly shook his head as he shut the door behind them and made his way to the drivers’ seat.  
\---------  
“Welcome home!” Dick said cheerfully as Damian, Jason and Alfred entered the manor.

Everyone was there to greet them as they stepped inside. Even Titus and Alfred the cat cheerfully came up to Damian and he immediately pets them both. It was a very welcoming greeting.

“Thanks, Dick.” Jason says.

“We got news yesterday about the win from our lawyers.” Tim said.

“The liar got arrested.” Stephanie said cheerfully. “What was that like to witness?”

“It was very satisfying.” Damian said as they all began to make their way to the living room to chat. “Her lies came crumbling down.”

“I’m sure Pam and Harls are happy about this.” Selina smiled sweetly.

“Oh yeah.” Jason nods. “Pixie-Pop even upgraded them to being called her mothers’ instead of her aunts.”

“That’s so sweet.” Stephanie coos.

“Was there anything else that happened?” Barbara asked.

Damian immediately looked over to Jason with a hard glare and he saw that annoying smirk appear on his face again.

“Well Marinette’s whole class begged for forgiveness.” Jason said. “They finally realized their mistakes right along with her biological parents.” Jason began tapping his chin like he was trying to remember something. “There was something else though that I am forgetting…”

“Todd has a crush on Kara.” Damian blurted out before he could say anything else.

Jason’s smirk finally cracked as he looked over at Damian in anger.

“What?” Half the room asked in shock.

“You like Super-Girl, Jay?” Dick asked.

Jason looked over at Dick for a fraction of a second before looking back over at Damian. “Demon Spawn lost his virginity last night.”

That was when the room irrupted in total chaos. Even Bruce who seemed completely unfazed by all of this finally had a look of shock. Damian couldn’t understand a single word that people were saying because everyone was screaming over each other to try and talk to him. This is exactly what he didn’t want to happen.

Damian looked back over at Jason and was annoyed when he saw that satisfied smirk again. His attempt to direct the attention to Jason completely failed.

“Quiet!” Bruce yelled over everyone else and finally the screaming stopped.

Damian had never wanted to run from a situation like he wanted to run from this one right now. The quiet stares seemed to be worse than everyone else screaming at him. He didn’t like the looks he was getting. Though they all seemed shocked, they also looked almost proud. Well all except Bruce. He seemed to gain his composure back.

“Is Jason telling the truth?” Bruce asked.

“Yes.” Damian kept a straight face as he answered though he knew he must look completely red in the face. This was embarrassing.

“You didn’t… Is it possible you got her pregnant?”

“No.” Damian struggled to not cringe at this conversation. He didn’t like that everyone else seemed to be invested in this conversation as well.

Bruce sighed in relief as he sat back in his chair. “Okay then.”

“How did you find this out, Jay?” Tim asked though his eyes never left Damian.

“The hotels walls were thin.” Jason laughed. “Plus I caught Pixie-Pop leaving his room.”

“How was it, Baby Bird?” Dick asked.

Damian looked around at everyone’s curious faces and shook his head. “I’m not answering your questions.” He stood up to begin to walk away.

Quite a few people stood in his way to block him from leaving.

“Don’t be embarrassed, Damian.” Stephanie grinned.

“Yeah, Demon Spawn.” Jason laughed. “Why don’t you show them what I saw?”

“No.” Damian said as he began to back away from Jason who stood up to approach him, only to then back into Cassandra. He turned around to see her lock eyes with Jason and he knew it was too late. That didn’t stop him from trying to get away though.

Cass quickly grabbed ahold of Damian’s arm as he was trying to get away and by the time he was able to pry his arm away from her grasp, Jason was already there. He grabbed Damian just barely by the hem of his shirt and Damian already used up too much momentum to be able to stop and turn around before he had his shirt pulled from his body. It was too late and Damian angrily watched as Jason threw his shirt to the other side of the room with a satisfied smirk.

Damian didn’t turn around but instead looked behind him to see who was there to assess who has already seen. Cass, Alfred, Selina and Bruce looked at him with wide eyes. Thankfully everyone else was standing in front of him.

“That’s a strangely familiar sight.” Selina laughed as she looked over at Bruce. “Remind you of anything?”

Bruce smiled as if he was trying to suppress a laugh. “Did you talk to the girl beforehand, Selina?”

Damian was very confused by this but chose to ignore it to look at everyone else. They also seemed to be confused by their reaction but Damian knew it was for a different reason. They were confused because they hadn’t seen what Bruce, Selina, Alfred and Cass had seen. Jason on the other hand was laughing hysterically at the whole ordeal.

“No. I’m afraid I have not.” Selina said. “I really do like her though. The little kitten has claws apparently.”

“Quite the understatement, Miss Selina.” Alfred smirked as he joined in on the joke as well.

“Come on, Demon Spawn.” Jason said between laughter. “Share with the rest of us.”

“I really didn’t want to share in the first place, Todd.” Damian snapped.

“It’s okay, kitten.” Selina said. “That’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Your father has some of his own, you know.”

This brought Damian up short as he finally turned around to look at his father to see if she was being truthful or not. Bruce only gave Selina the side eye as if he didn’t want her to say that before he looked back at his son. That confirmed what Selina had been saying though and he suddenly didn’t feel as embarrassed.

He realized just as he heard the gasps from behind him that he turned his back to face the others. He glanced back at them to see the shock on their faces before they too smiled and burst into laughter. Damian sighed before walking back to the other end of the room past everyone else to grab his shirt.

“Wow. That is a strange sight to see.” Barbara said.

“I’m not going to argue with you there, Babs. I think she had a good time though.” Stephanie laughed jokingly.

Damian couldn’t help but to smirk as he pulled his shirt back on. He supposed there were worse things his family could be saying. At least he wasn’t being made fun of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I was on vacation and I've been a bit busy. I know this chapter isn't my best and I'm sorry. I really have no idea where I am going with this story anymore.


	41. Chapter 41

Marinette arrived to school extra early on Monday morning. She had to visit the front office to hand over her legal documents so they could put her name in right in the schools system. She recognized the lady at the front desk from her first day of school and it seemed that she recognized her as well.

“Good morning, Marinette.” The woman said. “What brings you here so early on a Monday morning?”

Marinette smiled as she handed over the documents to the woman. “I’m going to need some help changing my name in the schools system.”

“A name change?” The woman looked surprised before glancing over the document. “Oh… Isley-Quinzel?”

“I’ve been legally adopted.” Marinette grinned. “I’ve taken my mom’s last names.”

“Huh…” The woman nods before taking the document over to the copy machine to make a copy of it. “I hope you’re happy with this new name.”

“I am.” Marinette nods. 

The woman hands the document back and then sits down to begin typing on her computer. “All of your teachers will be notified of the change.” She typed for a bit longer before smiling up at her. “Well Miss Isley-Quinzel. Your name has been changed.”

“It’s that easy?”

“Yep.” The woman nods. “You know, I’ve never seen a student become so popular as quickly as you have. You let me know if anyone ever bothers you, okay?”

“No one will bother her.” Damian suddenly speaks up from behind Marinette. “I’ll see to that.”

Marinette smiles before looking behind her to look at Damian. “How’d you know I was here?”

Marinette watches as Damian smiles sweetly at her. “Well I figured you wouldn’t want anyone calling you by your old name anymore.” He walked up to her to grab her hand. “I knew you would want to inform the school.”

“Well you’re right. I just got everything switched over.” She looked over at the woman behind the counter. “Thank you, by the way.”

“No problem.” The woman nodded as she eyed the two teens.

Marinette waved before walking out of the office with Damian

“Good morning, by the way.” Damian said.

“Good morning.” She smiled brightly up at him. “Training starts today. Isn’t that exciting?”

“Very.” Damian nods. “By the way, father wanted me to tell you that we will be meeting with his PR team on Saturday morning. Since we have gone so public, he wants us to sit down for an interview with someone he knows won’t try and skew things.”

“It’s been awhile since I’ve done an interview.” Marinette said as she thought back to her last interview as ladybug. She knew this interview would be very different from that though. “I look forward to it.”

“We’ll do something fun afterwards.” Damian smiled. “I’ll take you on another date.”

“Really?” Marinette asked as they came to a stop in front of her classroom. “What will we be doing?”

“I don’t know yet.” Damian shrugged before leaning down to kiss her. “We’ve got all week to talk about it.”

“Okay.” Marinette smiled up at him. “I’ll see you later then?”

“Of course, Angel.” He kissed her once more before they parted ways.

School wasn’t much to talk about. Roll call was interesting though. When the name Marinette Isley-Quinzel popped up and Marinette said “Here”, everyone looked over at her in either confusion or shock. A girl named Emily in her Spanish class ended up asking about it during class.

“Your name changed?” She asked.

“Yeah.” Marinette grinned. “I’ve been legally adopted.”

“By Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy?” She whispered.

“Yes. They are the ones who have been taking care of me ever since I moved to Gotham.”

“So that’s why Harley picks you up from school…”

Marinette smiled at Emily. “It’s not a secret. It never has been. I’m happy they are my family.”

“Oh.” Emily said and the conversation ends there.

Emily must have a lot of friends because by the time lunch came around, everybody seemed to look at her a little differently. It was almost like she was a celebrity. Her mothers were famous in Gotham though so she wasn’t surprised.

After she got her food from the lunch line, Marinette immediately headed straight for her and Damian’s table. She loved the way Damian would completely light up at her approach. She’s never seen someone so happy to see her except for him and that was saying something. Her mom’s lit up too every time they saw her.

“Hey there, handsome.” Marinette says as she plops down in the seat next to him.

“Hello, Angel. It seems the school has been talking about you.”

“Heard anything interesting?”

“Nothing I didn’t already know.” Damian smiled. “But I think the students are looking at you a bit differently. They know now not to mess with you because of your parents.”

“They make me feel like I’m some famous celebrity. It’s kinda strange.” Marinette giggled.

“I would get used to that feeling.” Damian smiled. “I doubt it will go away.”

“I know.” Marinette grins. “Let’s not forget that I’m also with you. I’m sure if this keeps up and then down the road…” Marinette takes his hand from under the table. “I don’t know… Maybe being an Isley-Quinzel isn’t the most eye catching name for the people of Gotham.”

Damian looked down at her in shock for a moment before blushing and smiling at her in awe. “You know, I bet you would look great in white.”

“Isn’t the color white reserved for virgins?” Marinette winked up at him. “You know, the ‘pure’.”

“True.” Damian smirked. “In that case, you would look great in any color you chose.”

“Thanks.” Marinette blushed.

“A future with you, Angel, is the thing I look forward to the most.” Damian said softly.

“You won’t get tired of me?” Marinette grinned.

“That’s an impossibility. I can never get enough of you.”

Marinette loved when Damian would say things like that because she knew he always meant it. His honestly was one of her favorite things she loved about him.

“I…” Marinette began to speak but she stopped herself. “You make me happy, you know that?”

“Yes and I’m very lucky for it.” Damian smiled sweetly. “Your happiness brings me happiness. Ever since day one.”

Marinette smiled before pulling Damian forward for a sweet, loving kiss. When she pulled away she saw Damian look down at her with a happy and satisfied smile.

“What was that for, Angel?” He whispered.

“I don’t know. I’m just… getting my feelings across.” She began to lightly play with his hand.

“Oh.” Damian grinned. “I feel the same, my Angel.”  
\---------  
Marinette was getting more and more excited the closer they got to Wayne Manor. She was almost bouncing in her seat during the car ride with Damian.

“You know training doesn’t start until a little after dinner, right?” Damian reminded her.

“I know.” Marinette looked down at Tikki in her lap. “I’m just excited. I’ve just… missed the feeling, you know?”

“You were born to help people, Marinette.” Tikki said. “Just like every guardian before you. I’m happy you have found a team who understands your plight.”

“Tikki?” Damian asked.

“Yes, Damian.”

“I haven’t thanked you yet.”

Marinette looked up at Damian questioningly but before she could ask, Tikki asked first. “Thanked me for what?”

“For taking care of my Angel in her darkest times. I only wish I could have met her sooner.” Damian lightly squeezed her hand.

Marinette almost wanted to cry at how sweet Damian is.

“Well in that case,” Tikki said with a smile. “I should thank you. Marinette is one of the most special humans I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and I’ve been waiting for someone to come along and bring her the happiness she deserves. You just so happen to be that person, Damian.”

Marinette grinned at Tikki before looking back over at Damian who was smiling as well.

“Awe, look at you two.” Marinette said. “My best friend and my boyfriend are getting along.”

Damian chuckled at that. “Only you would be best friends with a magical entity, Angel.”

“And only you would be best friends with an alien.” Marinette smirked.

“Half alien.” Damian corrected. “My father is best friends with an alien.”

“Oh, right.” Marinette rolled her eyes playfully. “My bad.”

Damian laughed as he put the car in park. Marinette looked up and realized that they were inside the garage of his house.

“I guess we have to compare how weird our best friends are later.” Marinette grinned. “Let’s go inside.”

They both stepped out of Damian’s car and joined hands before waking inside. Like always, they were both greeted by Alfred when they stepped in.

“Welcome home, Master Damian. Welcome back Miss Isley-Quinzel. Tikki.” He nodded to each of them

“Thank you, Alfred.” They all said in unison.

“Where is everybody?” Marinette asked.

“The living room. Master Bruce, Master Tim and Master Dick should be home shortly.”

“Thanks, Alfred.” Marinette smiled before looking back to Damian. “Let’s go say hi to everyone else.”

“Oh, Angel?” Damian said as Marinette began to drag him in the direction of the living room.

“Yeah?”

“I should warn you that Todd had a big mouth.”

“Huh?” Marinette stopped to look over at Damian and then realization hit her. “Oh…” She went red. “What… what did he tell them?” She whispered.

“Only what he saw.” Damian grinned awkwardly. “Did I forget to mention that he saw my back?”

Marinette gasped as she slapped a hand over her mouth. “Damian!” She whispered.

“Sorry, Angel. There was nothing I could do.”

Marinette saw his apologetic frown and sighed. “It’s okay.” She took his hand again. “Maybe they’ll keep their comments to themselves.” 

“Wishful thinking, Angel.” Damian smiled before beginning to walk with her again back to the living room.

“There they are!” Stephanie said cheerfully as they walked into the room.

“Hey, everyone.” Marinette waved.

“How are you doing, little kitten?” Selina asked with a soft smile.

“I’m fantastic.” She grinned.

“You ready for training tonight?” Barbara asked.

“You bet.” Marinette sat down with Damian on the couch. “I still don’t know exactly what to expect.”

“Bruce won’t go easy on you.” Selina said. “He’s got high hopes for you and therefore high expectations.”

“Oh, yeah.” Jason nods. “If you don’t give 100 percent then Bruce will be pissed.”

“He’s only hard on us because he cares though.” Barbara added on.

“Speaking of hard…” Jason grinned.

“Oh, come on Jay!” Stephanie punched him hard on the arm. “That was a terrible transition.”

Jason smirked as he rubbed his arm. “No. That was a funny transition.”

Marinette went red and quickly buried her face in her hands.

“Why must you always be like this, Todd?” Damian said harshly as he rubbed comforting circles on Marinette’s back.

“What can I say? I enjoy the chaos.” Jason smirked. “Plus, the girls had their own questions.”

Marinette peeked through her fingers to see that everyone was still looking at her. She sighed before dropping her hands to her lap with a determined face. “Alright. One question and that’s it. We’re dropping this topic after this. Got it?”

“Just one?” Steph asked.

“Just one.” Marinette nods.

“Deal.” Barbara spoke up.

“Angel, you don’t have to entertain them.” Damian said.

“I know.” Marinette grins up at him. “But this way they won’t bother us about this anymore.”

“Okay, fine.” Damian smiles.

“Alright, team.” Barbara said. “Let’s gather up and figure out what our best question will be.”

Stephanie, Cassandra and Jason all gathered around Barbara and began to speak in hushed tones with one another.

“Now you have them collaborating, little kitten.” Selina smirked. “They are definitely going to make this one question count.”

“One question about what?” Alfred asked as he entered the living room.

“I’m sure if you stick around you might find out, Alfred.” Selina said.

Alfred nodded briefly. “Well the Masters are driving through the gates now. I thought I’d inform you all. Dinner will be ready in 15 minutes.”

“Thank you, Alfred. Please send them our way when they get here.” Selina said.

“As you wish.” Alfred smiles before walking away.

Marinette looked back over to Barbara and saw that everyone was still silently talking to each other. It seemed to her that Jason and Stephanie seemed to be arguing over something.

“Do I want Stephanie to win this argument or Jay?” Marinette leaned over to ask Damian.

“Hard to say.” Damian looked over at the two silently arguing. “Barbara isn’t intervening so they both must have good points. Cassandra just looks like she’s thinking about something.”

“How embarrassing do you think this question will be?” Marinette asked. “On a scale from 1 to 10.”

“11.” Damian answered without skipping a beat.

“That bad?”

“Well… Maybe Barbara will rein them in?”

“Look who’s being a wishful thinker now.” Marinette smirked.

“Hey, you’re the one who allowed them to ask a question in the first place.” Damian lightly shook his head. “You’re brave, I’ll give you that.”

“Hey, Cupcake.” Dick said and Marinette looked up to see him just now entering the room with everyone else.

“Hey.” Marinette smiled.

“Oh good. Everyone’s here.” Stephanie spoke up. “Timmy, Dick. We need some help.”

“Help with that?” Tim asked.

“Just come here.”

Tim and Dick looked confused for a moment before walking over to the huddle. They then began to speak in hushed voices again.

“What’s going on?” Bruce asked as he went to go sit next to Selina.

“Marinette allowed them to ask one question.” Selina said. “Their discussing.”

“Ah…” Bruce nodded like that was enough information to understand what was actually going on. “Well we aren’t going to discuss this at dinner or during training so they better figure it out fast.”

“I got it.” Tim suddenly spoke up and the whole group turned their attention to Marinette.

“You figured out the ONE question?” Marinette asked.

“Yep. We’ve come to a consensus.” Jason grinned.

“Thanks to me.” Tim smirked.

“Well go ahead and ask then, genius.” Jason rolled his eyes.

“Okay.” Tim said. “Well seeing as you were caught leaving Damian’s room early in the morning, we can only assume that you were the one to initiate the whole thing. If that’s the case and Damian assures us that he didn’t in fact get you pregnant, then we can also assume that in whatever way, you used protection.”

“Good job, Baby Bird.” Dick spoke up.

Marinette was going red with embarrassment and looked over at Damian and saw that he was faring pretty much the same. She did want to laugh though at the way he glared at Dick. It seemed like he didn’t like the encouragement.

“Anyways.” Tim continued. “If we take into account of what we all have seen and what Jason has heard then that leaves us with only a few questions. There are of course some things that we don’t care to know so you’ll be happy to know that we won’t ask those questions.”

“Tim, just ask the question already.” Marinette pleaded. “You’re dragging this on longer than you have to.”

“Okay, fine. I was trying to ease into it but whatever.” Tim smiled. “Is Damian a masochist? Even a little bit?”

Marinette was shocked by the question for a moment before she looked over at Damian. She found that he seemed to be embarrassed as he looked over at her. Marinette couldn’t help but to gradually smile before bursting into laughter. She asked him the same question the morning after and he seemed conflicted in all honesty but he said no. He did however say that he liked a strong woman. Maybe there was some form of light masochism there. After all, he did like his hair being pulled.

Marinette’s laughter seemed to crack Damian’s exterior and he ended up smiling as well. He probably knew where her thoughts were at.

“What’s so funny?” Stephanie asked.

Marinette finally calmed down her laughter. “First of all, I must say that I was not expecting that question. What made you ask that?”

“We’ve kind of had this theory for a long time.” Jason said. “We know he doesn’t like being humiliated but we’ve always wondered about the other part of it.”

“Damian likes to push himself to the extreme sometimes and we feel like he kind of enjoys it.” Stephanie shrugs.

“It’s a weird question but we are genuinely curious.” Barbara said.

“Not that we will judge either way.” Dick added on. “Not that some of us have the room to judge.” He added on like he was speaking about someone but Marinette didn’t know who.

Marinette nodded before looking back over at Damian. It seemed to her like he was really thinking about this question. At least that’s what it looks like he is doing. He seemed lost in thought.

“Well?” Tim said. “Is he?”

Marinette smiled before reaching up to run her fingers through Damian’s hair. His train of thought finally seemed to break as he looked over at her with a soft smile. She then grabbed a fist full of his hair and yanked on it, not too hard but hard enough to pull his head closer to her. Instead of frowning or showing any sort of distaste towards this, he let out a strange satisfied hum like he liked the sudden interaction.

Marinette giggled before looking back to Tim who seemed to be dumbfounded by what had just happened. “I don’t know.” She shrugged as she put her hand on Damian’s back and quickly stuck her hand under his shirt. “Maybe a little bit?” She carefully watched Damian as she lightly dug her nails into his skin and slowly scratched down his back.

Damian let out some sort of low hum again before quickly biting his lip and swiftly standing up. “Okay.” He said nervously.

“Yep.” Marinette grins back to Tim. “That’s my best answer.” She then grabs Damian’s hand to sit him back down on the couch. He only stared straight ahead like he was either shocked or lost in thought. Maybe it was even both.

“Well…” Jason smirked at the two teens. “See? I told you, Dick.”

“I guess you did.” Dick laughed.

“Like father like son, huh Bruce?” Selina said with a smile.

Marinette looked back over to Damian and found that he seemed to be short circuiting from the earlier interaction. He didn’t even react at all to his families comments. She suddenly felt bad for testing her theory in front of his family. She just didn’t expect him to react in such a way.

“Damian.” Marinette whispered as his family was still talking amongst themselves.

“Huh?” Damian snapped his attention to Marinette. “Yes, my Angel?” He whispered back.

“I’m sorry.” She smiled apologetically. “I promise not to do that in front of everybody again.”

“Oh.” Damian finally smiled. “Thank you. Although I didn’t realize I would react that way.”

“Me either.” Marinette grinned.

“Dinner is ready.” Alfred suddenly spoke up, effectively cutting off all conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slow update. I'm currently working on three different fics. I know I should finish what I started but when the ideas hit, I just have to write. Hope you enjoyed!


	42. Chapter 42

Marinette had a strange mixture of nervousness and excitement for her first day of training as she walked into the training room with everyone else. Though she was a hero for quite a few years, she had never done anything like this before. She never had guidance like this before. It was new and strange.

“Alright.” Bruce spoke up. “Everyone split up and do your training exercises. No slacking off because I will be watching. Marinette, I’ll need you to come with me.”

“Good luck, Angel.” Damian kissed the back of her hand before walking off to the other side of the room.

Marinette smiled to herself before finally stepping up to Bruce. “Okay. What are we doing?”

“Today I am going to test your balance, speed, reaction time and agility. I want to know your limits so we can surpass them.”

“How are we going to test all of that?”

“I’ll show you.” Bruce nodded before guiding her to the back of the room.

Marinette followed his line of sight to where they were headed and felt a little confused at what was set up at the back wall. A good five feet away from the entire back wall was balance beams pushed up next to each other to cover the entire distance of the room. In front of them, facing the wall, were tennis ball launchers spaced out evenly next to each other. There were 22 in total and if they fired, they seemed like they would shoot up just a few feet above the balance beams and hit the back wall.

“I’m going to time you.” Bruce said when they came to a stop in front of the ball launchers. “You’ll start on the left side and run all the way across to pick up that staff on the right side and then come back with it. Time stops when you make it back safely with the staff. You start over if you fall off or if a ball hits you. Got it?”

Marinette glanced at the staff on the far end of the balance beams and then at the ball launchers. “You are going to try and hit me with tennis balls?”

“I’m not. The machines will. They each fire randomly at different times and speeds.”

“What if I take too long and the machines run out of balls?”

“The net will roll them back towards the machines.”

“Net?” Marinette looked up at Bruce in confusion.

Bruce smirks before pulling out a remote from his pocket and pressing a button. That’s when Marinette saw the net lowering from the ceiling and line up perfectly with the machines. Marinette knew that when the balls would fire they would hit the back wall and bounce back before hitting the net and roll down into the awaiting buckets, refilling the machines.

“Does that answer your question?”

“I guess it does.” Marinette nods.

“Any more questions?”

“No.”

Marinette steels herself before walking to the far left side and standing up on the balance beam. Looking across, she realizes how far she will really have to go. This room was massive and running the length of it was no joke. She looked back to the rest of the room and found that everyone was momentarily looking back at her.

“Ready?” Bruce asks.

Taking a deep breath, she looks back towards the staff on the far side of the room. “Ready.”

“Go.” Bruce says at the same time the balls start to fly.

Marinette hesitates for a second as a ball flies past her face a foot in front of her and then makes a run for it. She manages to make it a few feet before realizing the hard way that the balls become unpredictable after hitting the back wall.

The uneven roughness of the wall causes the balls to bounce off in strange directions and one particular ball shot off behind her to then bounce off the wall and hit her right in the arm on its way back. Marinette instinctually rubbed her arm and looked back at the direction it came.

“Go back to the beginning.” Bruce said. “And I’m not going to stop the machines for you.”

Sighing in frustration, she ran back a few feet to where she started, slapping balls out of her way as she went. Looking back to where she needed to go, Marinette looked for any pattern but found that Bruce was right. Everything fired at random.

“Hurry up. Your time is still ticking.” Bruce called out.

Marinette nodded before walking forward more carefully. She found herself jumping and ducking to avoid everything heading her way. It was a struggle to watch in front of her and behind her to make sure nothing surprised her and this seemed to slow her down a bit.

She managed to duck an oncoming ball but she didn’t anticipate the machine that just fired to fire again so quickly. Marinette held her hand up just in time before it hit her in the face and she threw the ball back at the net in frustration, mad that she only managed to make it half way across this time.

“Try again.” Bruce said.

Marinette hopped off the beam to start over, yet again slapping balls out of the way as she went. She situated herself again before looking at the staff on the far side of the room in determination.

“I can do this.” She whispered to herself.

This time around she moved a little faster but always kept her eyes open for anything coming her way. She found that if she listened for the sound of the balls that she had an easier time. The machines made a noise before they fired and the sound of the balls hitting the wall beside her always gave her a good heads up.

Marinette was grateful for her impeccable balance. That was one aspect of this exercise that she had no problem with. She even managed to do a back hand spring to avoid a multitude of balls heading her way, not that she was really trying to look cool. It was just efficient if she wanted to keep moving.

This time around she made it all the way to the staff and picked it up in triumph. It was made out of a solid wood and looked very used and worn. She realized very quickly that she could not flip around as easily with it like she had without it.

A ball was managing to come at her very fast and realizing that she couldn’t flip out of its way, she smacked it away with her staff without thinking. Marinette looked over to Bruce to see if he was okay with that but he only looked at her with a calculating gaze. She took that as an okay to keep going and smiled.

She didn’t have the movement she once had but she could use her newly acquired staff to smack the balls away without her specifically touching them. Marinette let a laugh escape as she held the staff at her side and on the ready. This wasn’t her first time working with a weapon like this and she easily kept a steady walk as she hit balls out of her way, both in front and behind her.

Marinette easily worked the staff to her advantage. She was able to walk the length of the beams with ease, the only bit of work for her was keeping up with her surroundings. There wasn’t a moment where she could relax her movement with the staff and so her eyes were constantly moving to keep up.

She found herself spinning the staff around her with ease, knocking balls away from every direction. Marinette didn’t even realize she reached the end until she ran out of room to walk forward on the beams. Out of pure excitement, Marinette did a graceful front flip off the beam and turned around to Bruce with a smile, holding the staff beside her at attention.

“How’d I do?”

“Not bad. Three minutes and six seconds. That’s a record around here for a first timer.” Bruce came to a stop directly in front of her. “It took Jason his seventh attempt to even realize he could use the staff to his advantage on his way back.”

“Hey, I was 13. Cut me some slack.” Jason spoke up from the other side of the room where he was working on a punching bag.

Marinette giggled at that. “Well my hero work usually revolved around using objects to my advantage. Plus, that wasn’t my first time working with a staff. That’s the weapon used for the black cat Miraculous.” She shrugged. “By the way, what’s the current best time for that?”

“Twenty seven seconds!” Dick yelled from across the room where he was sparring with Stephanie.

Marinette nodded before looking back to Bruce. “I’m guessing that’s his record?”

“That is his record… from eight months ago.” Bruce nodded. “And he hasn’t beaten it since. Someone is sure to take that title from his sooner or later.” He smirked. “After all, you did beat Damian’s first time record of three minutes and forty two seconds.”

“Well at least a beat somebody’s record.” Marinette grinned over at where Damian was. She found him staring back at her by the speed bag but he wasn’t doing anything.

Bruce turned to look at him as well. “Get back to work, Damian.”

Marinette suppressed the urge to laugh as he tore his eyes away from her and back to what he should be doing. “What now?” She asked as she looked back to Bruce.

“I want you to run this a few more times now that you know what you are doing then we will move on from there.”

Marinette ran the course a few more times like Bruce had asked and smiled when she realized she had it down pat. She didn’t lose balance or get hit by a ball once now that she had the hang of it. She smiled even wider when she realized her new record was thirty one seconds. In less than one day of training she was already beating records. She was now the second best behind Dick and that was better than she thought she would do.

“I think that’s enough of that for today.” Bruce waved her over once she was done. “Now onto your next training exercise.”

“Okay.” Marinette stood at attention a few feet away from Bruce, looking up at him with a smile.

“I would like you to think for a moment.” Bruce stared down at her with a blank expression. “All of us here knew before-hand that you are fast and agile, very quick thinking… But what do you think the point was to me putting you onto a task you would no doubt learn to succeed at very quickly?”

“Well…” Marinette thinks about that for a second. “I guess that teaches you a little bit more about me but also… though I picked it up quickly, it also taught me something. I obviously wasn’t perfect at it. It made me realize that I needed to listen more and not rely on only my eyes. That’s why I got hit the first few times.”

“So you realized your mistake and fixed it?” Bruce raised an eyebrow. “Is that what you are saying?”

“I guess it is.” Marinette grinned.

“Before we continue,” Bruce began to walk slow circles around her. “Since you realized quickly what one of your weaknesses was, do you think you can think of anymore you may have? It’s always best to try and improve upon yourself if you know there is something that needs work on.”

Marinette watched carefully as Bruce walked around her and nodded along. “Umm… I don’t know. Maybe one of my greatest strengths is also one of my worst weaknesses. I tend to watch and look. I asses everything. It’s what’s always helped me and maybe that’s why I did get hit those first few times. I didn’t realize how much I would need to rely on my hearing. Maybe my other senses aren’t as good as they should be because I rely so heavily on one over the others.”

Bruce came to a stop in front of her and smiled down at her. “So you think your other senses need work?”

“Sure.” Marinette nods.

“Oh boy…” Stephanie spoke up. “This should be good.”

Marinette looked over at Stephanie in confusion.

“Well then I have a task for you.” Bruce smiled. “Anytime we train, I want you to do it blindfolded until I feel you no longer need not to.”

“What?” Marinette snapped her head up at Bruce in confusion. “You want me to… walk around blindfolded?”

“Not just walk around, but yes.” Bruce’s smile never fades.

Not even two seconds later Alfred comes in holding a long strip of fabric. He makes his way between the two and holds it out to Marinette. She looks down at it and quickly identifies it as a strip of black cotton fabric and tentatively takes it from him, confused as to why he had this ready in the first place.

“Put it on.” Bruce orders.

Marinette looked up to Bruce, ready to question his choice but the look on his face convinced her not to. She looked back at the blindfold and sighed before tying it around her face. She didn’t like not being able to see and hated that this was a well-made fabric. Marinette couldn’t even see a speck of light.

“Alright.” Bruce spoke up and she turned her attention in the direction of his voice. He was in a different spot from where he was before. “You task is simple. All you need to do is tag me.”

“Tag? We’re playing tag? Is this Marco polo?”

“Marco polo is usually played in pools.” Bruce spoke up from a different side of the room. “And the water makes that game a million times easier. You won’t have the sound of the water to help you and I will not reply when you say Marco.”

“Okay.” Marinette nodded as she began to walk in the direction of the sound of his voice.

Marinette continued to walk until her foot hit something. She reached forward and found what she thought was a rack of weights in front of her. She frowned and turned around.

“Wondering aimlessly won’t help you.” Bruce spoke up and this time he was right next to her.

She reached out and nothing was there. Marinette walked forward a little faster until her hands hit a wall. “I feel stupid.” Marinette said.

“It’s okay.” Stephanie spoke up from in front of her and grabbed her by the shoulders, pushing her in a certain direction. “We all felt stupid when we first did this.”

Marinette nodded and began to walk where she was pointed. She continued on for a bit and then stopped when she heard Bruce’s voice off to the left of her and she headed for him.

“Do you remember the point of all of this? Why are you blindfolded?”

“Because I was stupid enough to say that I rely too much on my sight?” She sighed.

Marinette kept walking until she heard the sound of two people sparring not too far away. She stopped in her tracks to gauge where they were at and how close they were. Whoever the two people were, they clearly weren’t Bruce so she shuffled around the fight so she wouldn’t intervene.

“At least she smart enough to not walk head first into someone’s spar.” Dick spoke up from behind her. “Unlike someone I know.”

“Very funny, Dick.” Tim spoke and she quickly realized that he was one of the people sparring.

Marinette dropped her hands to her side and sighed, stopping in her tracks. She knew she was doing exactly what Bruce told her not to. She was wondering aimlessly. She needed to use all of her other senses. She needed to listen and feel and maybe even smell.

Hoping she wasn’t in anyone’s way, Marinette took a seat where she stood so she could concentrate on listening. She heard the sound of the spar between Tim and someone else and the sound of the speed bag which she was pretty sure Damian was still using. She heard the sound of chains rattling and the solid punches of a fist hitting a punching bag.

With all of this information, Marinette had a good idea where she was at in the training room. She was on the middle left side, just by all of the weight equipment. That alone, though, didn’t tell her where Bruce was. It just told her where she and a few others were.

After almost a minute of sitting in silence, the sound of the speed bag stopped and Marinette instinctually turned her head in the direction of the lack of sound. Moments later, as she was sitting there on the floor she felt the vibrations of someone’s footsteps heading her way. She waited patiently before the footsteps were close and reached out for the sound, grabbing around what she thinks is someone’s calf.

“Who is this?” She asks.

“It’s just me, Angel.” Damian says and she swears she hears the smile behind his words.

“Where’s your dad?” Marinette whispers.

She feels him turn his body to the left of her and she assumes that must be the right direction, so she turns her body in that direction as well.

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you, Angel. Father thinks that’s cheating.”

Marinette smiles and then gently pats Damian’s leg. “Thanks anyways.”

She feels Damian pat her head before he walks off in the direction Marinette believes is where the weight machines are. Moments later she hears him working on the machine and smiles to herself knowing that she was right. Apparently sitting here listening was helping in some way.

An idea then comes to Marinette’s mind and she stands up, knowing that Bruce most likely moved from the leftwards direction she thought he was and made her way to the back wall where she was previously working on the balance beams. She stopped when she felt one of the ball machines and then made her way left until she was at the end of them. It took her a moment but she finally found the staff that she had left there.

Marinette remembered hearing in her science class that humans can learn the skill of echolocation just like bats and dolphins. If she took into account what she could already hear, maybe she could use the sound of the staff hitting the ground in front of her as a helpful guide.

She smacked the staff on the ground and listened to the sound it made when she hit it next to one of the ball machines. She did it again in a direction she knew was nowhere close to where objects were and compared the sounds. It was a very small difference but still a difference that could help. The staff also felt a bit different when you hit the ground next to a heavy object compared to when you didn’t.

Sound waves bouncing off of objects and the vibrations of the ground when you hit it. Marinette smiled to herself when she realized that this was what she was really using to help her. She began to walk around the edge of the room, tapping the staff periodically to help her, while also listening out for the organic sounds around her. She found that with the combination of all of this, she easily avoided stationary objects. She no longer had an idea of where she and others were at; she knew where she and others were at.

Damian was on the weights and Tim and Cass were now on their third round of sparring. Jason was wrapping up on the punching bag and she figured out that Dick and Stephanie finished their sparring a while ago. From the sound of it, Marinette realized that Dick was suspended in the air, most likely on the rings. Stephanie on the other hand sounded as though she was working on the Wing Chun dummy.

Marinette walked to the center of the room and stopped to listen. She knew that Bruce had to be watching her from wherever he was and it was a little bit frustrating, she had to admit, but she wasn’t going to let that bother her. She held up the staff and smacked it hard on the ground by her feet, the loud sound echoing off the walls.

Everyone around her instantaneously went quiet and that made Marinette smile because after everyone looked to her, she knew everyone would then look to wherever Bruce was. Stephanie, who was the closest one to her, shifted her weight to her right and Jason, who was the next closest, shifted his to the left. She decided to walk between the two, tapping the staff as she went.

When she passed Stephanie, she made sure to listen and feel very carefully. The room seemed to go eerily quiet and she knew she must be going in the right direction. As soon as she made it within five feet of the wall, she heard new but very soft footsteps retreating from her. She turned towards them and walked even quicker.

But then the footsteps stopped and Marinette stopped to, trying to listen. She couldn’t even here so much as a whisper so she held her breath to hear a little bit better. Marinette still heard nothing to she lifted her staff and lightly tapped it in front of her, once to her left and once to her right in a very quick motion. Now she was suddenly sure.

Marinette calculated it and she knew for whatever reason that without a shadow of a doubt, Bruce was only six feet to the northwest of her. And she knew that he was waiting to see what she would do. She smiled as innocently as possible before turning her face toward him and running head on.

She felt him begin to step away off to the right and she easily changed direction with him. Seconds later her outstretched hand caught someone’s arm and she quickly gripped around his wrist. She knew from the size of him that he was Bruce. No one else in this room could compare. When he came to a stop she came to a stop too and reluctantly let go of his wrist. She didn’t want him to run off again.

“Well?” She asked after a moment of silence.

“You did catch me.” Bruce finally spoke up, still directly in front of her.

She heard more people approach but she decided to still keep her attention solely on Bruce, not wanting him to disappear again. She worked this hard to find him and she wasn’t about to let him off so easily if he wanted to try this again.

“I’ll be honest, that was a little bit terrifying, Pixie-Pop.” Jason spoke up.

“…Why?”

“You should have seen it.” Dick said but still Marinette focused on Bruce. “The way you smiled at Bruce when you found him was very…”

“Ominous.” Stephanie answered.

“You used echolocation?” Bruce asked.

“Sort of.” Marinette tapped the staff on the ground. “I used the vibrations of the floor and the different sounds the staff makes when you tap it next to an object. And I also just listened… so I could figure out where everyone and myself were at.”

It was quiet again and she felt Bruce shift his weight but he didn’t move from his spot. “You’d be the first of us to do something like that you know. The rest of us just learned to listen out for footsteps and breathing.”

“Do you not want me to use the staff next time? I know it can be noisy in some situations but I thought I would just use it to my advantage. I mean I listened to your footsteps at the end there.”

“No. I’m impressed by your creativity actually.” Bruce said. “Instead of searching for me yourself, you let others and the objects around you do the work for you. It certainly cut down on the time. Again, this is the quickest any newcomer has done this.”

“Really?” Marinette felt shocked. “But I was wondering around there in the beginning for a while and then sat on the ground for a few good minutes.”

“It’s true, Angel.” Damian spoke up directly beside her. “I had done it the quickest before you and that was because I had prior training before coming here. Still, it took me fifteen minutes. I was too reliant on my sight as well.”

“How long did it take me? That felt like forever.”

“Thirteen minutes.” Bruce said

“Oh.” Marinette nods slowly.

“You’re blowing through this, Cupcake.” Dick said. “At this rate we will be taking you out on patrols in no time.”

“Oh!” Stephanie spoke up, clearly excited. “When will Lucius be coming around? With Marinette’s creative input, I can’t wait to see what he comes up with this time.”

“Lucius?” Marinette asks.

“Lucius Fox.” Bruce clarifies. “He makes all of our gadgets and suits. He’ll make yours. You didn’t really think we would have Ladybug running around Gotham, right? I think we all know that it’s best to keep the Miraculous off the streets.”

“I guess you’re right.” Marinette smiles. The idea of creating a new suit honestly sounded like fun.

“You’ll meet up with him after your interview on Saturday.” Bruce says. “For now though, we all need to get back to training. We aren’t done yet.”

“Yes sir.” Everyone mumbles as the part ways.

Marinette stands there, still blindfolded, and faces Bruce. “What’s next? Are you going to hide from me again?”

“No. It’s time to spar.”

“Blindfolded?”

“Blindfolded. Get ready.”

Marinette spent the rest of training sparring with Bruce. She knew he wasn’t going all out and that was obvious but that didn’t mean he made this easy. Though she knew how to hear him coming, there were still moments when she wouldn’t move fast enough to avoid him.

Even with all of that, though, she felt a surge of pride when she managed to get a strike in. Never in a million years did she think she would ever spar with Batman blindfolded. She never managed to hit him in the face though and she knew Harley wouldn’t be too happy about that. She’d get there one day.

After a while, Bruce called it quits for the night. Marinette sighed in relief, a bit exhausted from the spar, and reaches up for the blindfold.

“I can take this off now, right?”

“Yes.” Bruce says and she immediately yanks it off.

Marinette blinks quickly as she tries to refocus her vision and then makes the quick walk back with Stephanie and Tikki to change back into her regular school clothes. As soon as she is done and back into the hallway, she finds Damian there waiting for her.

“You ready for me to take you home, Angel?” He asks has he holds his hand out towards her.

“Sure.” Marinette gladly takes his hand as they begin to make their way to the garage. “So you guys are out on patrol tomorrow, right? I guess that means it’s my day off for now?”

“For now.” Damian nods. “But I think Grayson is right when he said you would be joining us on patrols soon. Father looked very impressed.”

“I’ll take your word on that.” Marinette grinned. “Saturday is going to be quite busy with the whole interview thing and me meeting this Lucius guy. It’s all really exciting.”

“Well then I guess our date on Saturday should be a bit more relaxed since we’ll be so busy.”

“Oh, we should have dinner then. Just the two of us.” Marinette said in excitement as they walked into the garage. “You can take me to your favorite restaurant. You have a favorite, don’t you?”

“Absolutely, Angel.” Damian replied when they were both inside the car. “But in that case you’ll have to wear something nice.”

“I was planning on it for the interview anyways.” Marinette glanced out the window as they were leaving. “How do you feel about little black dresses?”

“I personally wouldn’t wear one.” Damian chuckles. “But I know you’d look great in them.”

Marinette laughed at that. “You don’t give yourself enough credit. I think you would really pull off wearing a dress.”

“Don’t get any ideas, Angel.” Damian smirked. “Besides, you and I both know who would look better. It’s always going to be you. You could wear the most unsightly of rags and you could pull it off.”

“Yeah, sure.” Marinette says sarcastically as her cheeks go red. “I think you are a bit biased.”

“No. I’m being honest.” Damian said matter of factly. “You are just far too modest about your beauty.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally got around to writing this story again. I really shouldn't write three stories at once. It gets confusing...


End file.
